Q
September 12, 2019
Sip on Ian Aber’s Sweet Night Sugar
inform | inspire
Fantastic
BEASTS Meet Atlanta’s LGBTQ Powerlifting Crew
Laramie, Berlin & Rome Dot the Queer Agenda MARTA Ready To Roll Over Heretic & BJ’s? Jealousy Threatens True Love With A Sex Worker
Q News The Q Q Shots The Weekly Print Publication of Project Q Atlanta
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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 ART DIRECTOR JOHN NAIL JOHN@THEQATL.COM
Signs of
STRENGTH
Inner fortitude, community power and personal potency
SOMETIMES JUST SUPPORTING LGBTQ equality, not to mention living without it, can feel like heaving massive obstacles through space. Queer strength becomes part and parcel of our movement in this issue of Q. That’s not to say the members of Fantastic Beasts aren’t showing the physical side of feeling stronger every day. They are, and how in this week’s cover story by Q’s own Patrick Saunders alongside a stellar photo essay of its members by contributor James L. Hicks.
PROJECT Q ATLANTA PATRICK SAUNDERS EDITOR PSAUNDERS@THEQATL.COM CONTRIBUTORS IAN ABER LAURA BACCUS GABRIELLE CLAIBORNE BUCK COOKE CHARLES E. DAVIS JON DEAN BILL DICKINSON JIM FARMER BRAD GIBSON JAMES L. HICKS BENTLEY HUDGINS TAMEEKA L. HUNTER HEATHER MALONEY ERIC PAULK KYLE ROSE JAMES PARKER SHEFFIELD VINCE SHIFFLETT ALEXANDRA TYLER VAVA VROOM RUSS YOUNGBLOOD NATIONAL ADVERTISING RIVENDELL MEDIA SALES@RIVENDELLMEDIA.COM 212-242-6863 LOCAL ADVERTISING SALES@THEQATL.COM 404-949-7071
But what strikes more potently than any personal-best deadlift in this powerlifting EDITOR & PUBLISHER group is the strong foundation they find in each other. Their teamwide support for all skill levels, all bodies and all brands of queerness plays as a microcosm of the power in LGBTQ communities as a whole. It also sets the group apart and keeps members coming back for more. MIKE FLEMING
Still, coming to terms with an LGBTQ identity will always be a personal endeavor at some level. Those who have a knack at expressing it help themselves and ultimately help frame issues for others. Local comedian — and regular Q Voices contributor — Ian Aber opens up about his own struggles and how they inform his comedy on the album Night Sugar, out this week. The community comes to the aid of a letter writer in this week’s advice column. I decided that the queer question submitted was beyond my own understanding, so I posed it to our Instagram followers and got some stellar feedback. Their insights form this week’s responses. As always, you’ll find Q News, Q Shots and the Queer Agenda on our pages, as well as fresh content beyond that every day on theQatl.com. Send me your musings about our print and online publications via mike@theQatl.com. theQatl.com
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE VOLUME 2 ISSUE 42 SEPTEMBER 12, 2019
DATE BOOK
Pencil in some downtime
COVER
11 27
Power Lift Fantastic Beasts weightlifting club
NEWS
13 9
29 Chop Chop
Slow Train
MARTA’s long game for Cheshire Bridge PEOPLE
23
Night Sugar
31 Her Way
Ian Aber’s sweet new comedy album
FEATURES
Q News
6
9
The Queer Agenda
27
Q Shots
29
The Q
38
theQatl.com
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36 Go Dawgs
Concert + Dance Party
with Martha Wash –
“It’s Raining Men”
October 5th, 2019 The Tabernacle 152 Luckie St NW Atlanta, GA 30303
Doors open – 8 p.m. Show begins – 9 p.m.
and Taylor Dayne –
“Tell It to My Heart”
Tickets: PositiveImpactHealthCenters.org
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NEWS Q
Photos by Matt Hennie
MARTA covets the CSX rail line behind Heretic and BJ’s.
Progress
TRAIN
Cheshire Bridge MARTA station could push out BJ’s, Heretic By Patrick Saunders A new MARTA light rail station could replace two longtime Atlanta gay bars as part of a $350 million project, though it’s unclear when that would happen.
The Clifton Corridor project would connect the Lindbergh Center MARTA Station to two new stations, one on Cheshire Bridge Road at Faulkner Road, and the other near Emory University and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. The light rail line would parallel the CSX railroad, which runs behind BJ Roosters and Heretic. But it will be years before the project begins, according to Heretic General Manager Alan Collins. “From what I understand, it’s going to be at least 10 years before they start acquiring any sort of property,” Collins told Project Q Atlanta. BJ’s owner Bobby Hamill also said the project had been “pushed back” 10 years. A project timeline presented to MARTA’s planning committee in May shows construction on the Clifton Corridor project
beginning in eight years, with completion in 2037, according to the AJC. The committee approved the timeline, but the timeline and the placement of the station could change, MARTA spokesperson Stephany Fisher told Project Q. “The project could include a new rail station on the southside of Cheshire Bridge Road,” she said. “That is just one of the options being evaluated during the environmental review process. However, we cannot say with certainty that these two businesses will be affected.” Collins isn’t too worried – yet. “As far as I know, it’s business as usual, and we’re not going anywhere until we have to,” he said. Atlanta voters approved a half-cent sales tax in 2016 to pay for MARTA expansion across the city. The tax is expected to raise about $2.7 billion over 40 years, according to the AJC. Original plans for the Clifton Corridor project extended the line east to Decatur and Avondale Estates, but those plans have been shelved, according to Saporta Report. LGBTQ nightlife on Cheshire Bridge Road has slowly eroded over the years. Gay sex club Eros and gay dance club Jungle closed in 2017. New Covenant Church of Atlanta moved to southeast Atlanta in 2018. Gay sex club Manifest4U closed in June of this year with non-specified plans to reopen elsewhere. Adult superstore Tokyo Valentino is in the midst of a long-running lawsuit filed by the City of Atlanta. Some gay and gay-popular businesses remain of course, with good news for others also positioned on the South Side of Cheshire Bridge Road. Selig Enterprises told Atlanta magazine that it has no plans to redevelop the property where Cheshire Motor Inn, the Colonnade and the gay-owned Antiques & Beyond now sit. theQatl.com
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COVER Q
Joes Gallagher
BEAST
Mode
Atlanta’s LGBTQ powerlifting club provides queer alternative to big-box gyms
PHOTOS BY JAMES L. HICKS jhicksphotography.net theQatl.com
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POWERLIFTING continued Q
W
Zumba person, right? Not that there’s anything wrong with being into Zumba, it’s just not my thing,” she added.
“We realized that there was gay kickball and gay swimming and gay volleyball, but there was no gay powerlifting club, and we realized that we could start such a thing,” Holland told Q. “There are a lot of people that want to learn how to do strength training but don’t know where to start, can’t necessarily afford a trainer, maybe feel a little uncomfortable or overwhelmed by the gym, and this is especially true for trans athletes a lot of times.”
“That is so stereotypically such a meathead thing to do and at most of the commercial gyms, that’s who’s dominating those spaces,” she said. “At Fantastic Beasts, we’re all there to support each other, and it’s beginner friendly and explicitly for queer people. It’s important because you feel safe and you can be yourself.”
By Patrick Saunders hen David Holland and Reed Gilbert started powerlifting together in spring 2017, they realized there was a void in LGBTQ Atlanta. Even with all the gym bunnies and muscle daddies in town, there was no known club for queer lifters.
So the Fantastic Beasts Atlanta LGBTQ Powerlifting Club was born. They started meeting twice a month at Crossfit Downtown Atlanta in Reynoldstown. ‘YOU FEEL SAFE’ Fantastic Beasts member Nikki Thomas first heard about the group when looking for powerlifting outlets online. She eventually found trainer Lis Saunders, who coaches the Fantastic Beasts. “I was at a point where I was looking for community and when I got there, everyone who I met was friendly and inviting and it was a good environment to learn,” Thomas told Q. “Even though I’ve been powerlifting for four years now, there’s still something to learn.” “I was also missing and looking for a group environment, but I’m not like a jazzercise or
Thomas, who identifies as bisexual, said the club is important because a lot of LGBTQ people don’t feel comfortable going to the gym, much less picking up a barbell and working out with heavy weights.
“Just to get away every few weeks to be with your people is important to me and refreshing,” she added. NON-PROFIT FOR THE PEOPLE Each Fantastic Beasts session starts with a group warmup, then one of the three basic powerlifts: squat, bench or deadlift. “If people are new, there’s some side instruction to the new people so they can get started. We assume that new people have never touched a barbell before,” Holland said. “We do that lift, and then after that, there’s some accessory work and the whole session is about an hour-and-ahalf long. People can scale to whatever strength level they are comfortable with.” The club hit a milestone in May by registering as a non-profit, which expands the options for Beasts members.
Nikki Thomas
PHOTOS BY JAMES L. HICKS jhicksphotography.net theQatl.com
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Q
POWERLIFTING continued
Eric Tiller
Robert Sean Harley
PHOTOS BY JAMES L. HICKS jhicksphotography.net 14
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Back row L-R: Eric Tiller, David Holland, Robert Fairman, Ira Douglas, Robert Sean Harley, Jose Ortiz. Front row L-R: Nikki Thomas, Lis Saunders (Coach), Joes Gallagher, Ryan Byrd
Richard Cherskov
Michael Birnholz
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Q
POWERLIFTING continued
Robert Fairman
PHOTOS BY JAMES L. HICKS jhicksphotography.net 16
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“Ultimately, it’s going to help us support athletes doing competitions, which sometimes, there can be financial disincentives for that,” Holland said. “It will help us to be able to support athletes training with us who can’t afford to pay the fees and so forth. We’ve just kind of been covering that on a case-by-case basis, but we can actually do this in a more formal way.” Lifting sessions are $15 dollars, but the club offers a sliding scale for students or others who can’t afford it. SNAP & A YAAS There are about 15 to 20 people who regularly attend Fantastic Beasts, according to Holland. “I would say we have a good mix [of ages and genders], but what we really have that is remarkable is a large number of trans athletes,” he said. They include transgender man Ryan Byrd, who heard about the club through his ex-girlfriend. “She told me about it, because she knew I was into powerlifting and was looking to grow my queer community,” Byrd told Q. “She thought it would be a nice intersection for me.”
The one-on-one feedback helps Byrd prepare for powerlifting competitions, he said. “Also I liked that while everyone in the group pushed themselves, it’s not competitive against each other,” he said. “It’s a super supportive group. The more seasoned lifters will give pointers to the more novice lifters. We go to the competitions and cheer each other on. It doesn’t have that kind of machismo that you get in the other gyms.” That environment is a welcome alternative, Byrd said. “When you’re in the gym, it’s a very bro environment,” he said. “Nobody knew that I was trans, and I wasn’t comfortable with it because it was a macho feeling environment. [Fantastic Beasts] was the only time I felt I could be fully authentic and bring in the queer side with me.” “It’s not often that you see guys do a snap and a ‘yaaas’ after a big weightlift,” he added. Fantastic Beasts LGBT Powerlifting Club meets f irst and third Sundays at 2 p.m. at Crossf it Downtown Atlanta, 215-B Chester Ave. SE. Find them on Facebook.
Lis Saunders
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POWERLIFTING continued
David Holland
PHOTOS BY JAMES L. HICKS jhicksphotography.net 18
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PEOPLE Q
Laughing Out
LOUD & PROUD
Queer Atlanta comedian Ian Aber hits career milestone with first album release By Patrick Saunders
A
tlanta comic and showrunner Ian Aber is closing in on a decade in stand-up comedy talking about what he knows best — being queer and feeling on the outside of society. “My comedy is about my experiences as an outsider and the feelings of otherness often associated with being a minority and how I overcome, subvert or deal with that throughout my life,” he told Q. It sounds like heavy stuff, but it’s also oh-so funny. Aber will explore that territory and more on his first comedy album, Night Sugar. The album, which is available for pre-release on Sept. 15 and a full release on Oct. 1, was recorded in April at Star Bar. Aber, who is also a regular Q Voices contributor, chatted with us about his inspiration, preparation, “success sweats” and learning to trust himself. What inspired you to release your first comedy album? I was having a conversation with another comedian who was about to record their second or third album and they said it was a benchmark for where they were in theQatl.com
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Q
PEOPLE continued comedy that they could look back at and I liked the idea of cap-
turing a moment in time in this
career that I have turned my life upside-down to pursue.
How much preparation
went into putting the album together?
I spent about four months
doing as many 30-minute to an
hour sets as I could to prepare, which involved a lot of outof-town travel for shows and coordinating with producers and bookers. As much as stand-up comedy seems to be a solo sport, it truly is a collaborative effort in terms of being booked on shows, and I am lucky to have good relationships and a decent reputation as a comedian to get that kind of help. How did you come up with the name for the album? Night Sugar is a nickname my husband has for me and while that may seem really sweet, I tell a joke about the circumstances that got me that nickname and it has been my most popular joke for years. So when it came time to name the album, it was the most obvious choice. You’ve said it took 38 years to get OK with talking in front of straight people. Do you still get anxious before a set? I still do get anxious before sets, but in a more productive way than the sheer dread and flop sweats I would have every time I got on stage for the first couple years. I mean, I still sweat but now it’s success sweats. You’re closing in on a decade in comedy. What have you learned? To trust and value myself through this process. I spent a lot of years trying to work out daddy issues with various senior VPs in corporate jobs to some financial gain but no fulfillment, and pursuing comedy has really been a way for me to see my own true worth but also be reminded I have much left to learn along the way. I also learned that I experienced more trauma at the hands of straight people as a child and teen than I was really willing to admit to myself, and I’ve taken steps to work through it in the past few years specifically. “Night Sugar” prereleases on Sept. 15 on RadLand Records and drops on Oct. 1. Check iTunes, Amazon and www.thenightsugar.com. Ian Aber hosts shows including the biweekly Urban Tree Cidery shows. He’s a performer at Laughing Skull Lounge and Highland Ballroom Inn. Read more of this interview and f ind out what else he’s up to at theQatl.com
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PHOTOS BY RUSS YOUNGBLOOD theQatl.com
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Q
THE QUEER AGENDA The Best Queer Things To Do in Atlanta This Week
September 12 – September 18 THURSDAY, SEPT. 12
FRIDAY, SEPT. 13 Laramie Project The Mathew Shepard-inspired story opens as the second in a season-launching repertory @ Theatrical Outfit, 8 p.m. Runs through Sept. 29. theatricaloutfit.org This Is Not Berlin The heralded and highly anticipated queer film opens @ Midtown Art Cinema, all week. landmarktheatres.com
SATURDAY, SEPT. 14 Voices of Note Cabaret A showcase of talents from members of Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus and Atlanta Women’s Chorus @ Out Front Theatre, 8 p.m. voicesofnote.org Sonia Leigh Indigo Girls Atlanta Symphony backs the venerable lesbian duo @ Symphony Hall, 8 p.m. Friday too. indigogirls.com Talecia Tucker Southern Fried Queer Pride hosts an artist talk @ Mint Gallery, 7 p.m. southernfriedqueerpride.com Holy Sh!t Comedy curated for alternaqueers @ Sister Louisa’s Church of the Living Room, 10 p.m. sisterlouisaschurch.com
THURSDAY, SEPT. 12 – SUNDAY, SEPT. 15
Tap toes to the country-blues-rock vibes @ Eddie’s Attic, 9 p.m. eddiesattic.com Rome Last year’s breakout costume party returns to the toga-wearing empire @ Heretic, 10 p.m. hereticatlanta.com
MONDAY, SEPT. 16 The Queen See the movie that left audiences aghast in 1968 and delighted ever since @ Plaza Theatre, 7 p.m. wussymag.com
TUESDAY, SEPT. 17 Pretty In Pink Drag Queen Bingo Duckie that walk for theme-night bingo benefiting Pets Are Loving Support @ Lips, 7:30 p.m. palsatlanta.org
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 18 Qalm Queer, sober and chill af @ Fulton County Library Metropolitan Branch, 7 p.m. Boys in Trouble Famed transgender choreographer Sean Dorsey presents this latest modern piece @ 7 Stages, 8 p.m. 7stages.org
atlantapride.org Find more queer things to do in the expanded edition of the Queer Agenda at theQatl.com. theQatl.com
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CHOP THE STIGMA KIKI BALL
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FESTIVAL PROGRAMMING Yoga & Live Music, Car & Motorcyle Show - Lambda Car Club, Comedy Showcase, AIDS Memorial Quilt Sobriety Meetup, Bi + Pan March, Drag Queen Storytime, Burlesque Show, Trans March, Dyke March Shooting Stars Cabaret, Queer Your Gender Dance Party, Outworlders Gaymer Space 19th Annual Atlanta Pride Brunch, Gray Pride, Family Fun Zone SWEET TEA: A Queer Variety Show, Starlight Cabaret
ATLANTA PRIDE CELEBRATION OCT. 11-13, 2019 | ATLANTA PRIDE.ORG
VICTORY FUND AT EINSTEIN’S
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Q
THEQ?!
HARD
“If this were a friend of mine asking for advice, I would recom-
mend they ask themselves if they would be jealous if their lover paid their bills working in any other sort of industry. What is it
for the Money
Help! They’re jealous and in love with a sex worker The Q needed help with this question and turned to sex industry
professionals, advocates and our readers. Opinions were enlightening and varied, so this week we share their insights in lieu of our usual,
(specifically) about sex work that you are connecting to your feelings of jealousy? I would also check out some SWOP and Red
Umbrella Project blogs and groups nationally to get some advice
from other partners of sex workers — you’re surely not alone, and congratulations on being in love!”
“Obviously the situation is not really polyamory, but
@multiamory_podcast has a fantastic podcast that frequently discusses how to cope with your jealousy and how to sort out your own barriers to love.”
official responses.
Q
ing openly and honestly. Discuss setting
expectations and set boundaries. Answer
is a sex worker. They feel the same
each other’s questions, be truthful at all
way, but my inherent jealousy
costs. Use your love as a safe space to dis-
could ruin it. Any tips on making it
cuss feelings of both partners and ways
work from people who are or were in
you can help each other. Build trust,
this situation?
discuss trust, and revel in trust.
I get that it’s OK to not be OK with
Most of all, rely on trust. Know
it, but I won’t be shamed by those
it is there and lean on it. Remind
who can’t see past their issues to see
yourself of the precious trust you
mine. I’m looking for coping mechanisms
have, especially when jealousy rears its
and possibly other ways to become *more*
head and lies to you.”
OK with it.
I am willing to try because this is our situ-
lationship isn’t based on sex. Why are you
ous anyway, so maybe it’s time to learn new
together? What is it about each other
ways of understanding and new ways to
that has you both in love/into it?
process my feelings in order to work with
Sex can be a way to show love
what we’ve got.
and affection, but sometimes it’s
work and sometimes it’s power.
Dear Lovers:
What other ways do you show
“To me, an open relationship is an open
affection and love that makes
relationship. You’re either cut out for it or
you’re not. It doesn’t matter about the ‘worker’ part. It’s the ‘sex with someone else’ part that creates the jealousy. So have the
conversation about a way to have a healthy, open relationship.
Successful open relationships are built on communication and
theQatl.com
— Constance
“Remembering/identifying that your re-
ation right now. I’ve always been over-jeal-
38
— Elliott
“Both partners can help by communicat-
I’m madly, deeply, spiritually in love with someone who
trust. Make that your goal.”
— Dads
— Woodstock
your relationship different from those other forms of sex the partner is having?”
— Beane
The Q is for entertainment purposes and not professional counseling. Send your burning Qs to mike@theqatl.com.
ILLUSTRATION BY BRAD GIBSON