Q Magazine Atlanta | December 20, 2018

Q

Queer Atlanta’s Very MERRY UN-CHRISTMAS

inform | inspire

December 20, 2018

p m Ca s a m t s i r Ch

Edie Cheezburger & Co. look to the future of The Other Show

20 LGBTQ COMICS OF COLOR MOVING MY SISTER’S ROOM ABOUT THOSE HOLIDAY PARTIES

+

Q News Q Voices Q Shots

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

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

NEW YEAR. A NEW YOU.

DERMAPLANING

Specially Priced $59 Reg $150

HAIR CUT “It’s An Experience” MEN’S WAXING BODY MASSAGE MICRO NEEDLING FACIAL

1959 Piedmont Ave • Atlanta, GA • 404-249-1661 • gsalonatl.com 4

theQatl.com

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 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 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

Happy

HOLIGAYS

FROM CLASSICS TO CAMP TO COMICS, this week’s Q does the holidays with best wishes to all the queers in Atlanta’s LGBTQ village.

We invited the cast of The Other Show to help us close out the final week of another amazing year with one of Q contributor Jon Dean’s signature photo spreads, and the collaboration is as fun and festive as we hoped. Enjoy the eye-popping portraits in the Queer Christmas feature, and read about their plans for the holidays and beyond now that the show has left Midtown Tavern.

As full-tilt Christmas as that spread is, we also know that for some readers, only an un-Christmas will do. That’s why 10 Queer Things lays out things to do in Atlanta on Dec. 25 if you can’t, don’t or won’t do that particular holiday.

And the activities this week don’t stop there. Even if you’re otherwise occupied on the Big Day, the Queer MIKE FLEMING Agenda calendar offers downtime gatherings for the EDITOR & PUBLISHER rest of the week as well. Check in with the likes of Jane Lynch, the Neon Queen and Wussy for some options.

Speaking of options, the chances for codified LGBTQ inclusion in Georgia have gone up this year, thanks in part to the largest contingent of queer lawmakers ever assembled in our state. Meet one of them, state Rep. Renitta Shannon, in our Q&A feature. We find out how her experiences have her ready for the good fight in the upcoming legislative session.

As change comes slowly at the Gold Dome, so too are the trenches of pop culture. This week, Q Voices finds the remnants of the Kevin Hart scandal with local queer comic Ian Aber. He outlines the issues, and points to 20 queer comedians of color who deserve support so they can host the Oscars one day.

In Q News, My Sister’s Room eyes new digs for the new year, and Morehouse faces a lawsuit that alleges sexual harassment by a gay professor on a student. In Q Shots, we train our lenses on queer holiday parties around town, and The Q advice column stares down awkward talks no one wants to have but everyone should.

Remember to check in for fresh daily content from Project Q Atlanta at theQatl.com, and reach out to me any time with your ideas and feedback via mike@theQatl.com.

theQatl.com

5

INSIDE THIS ISSUE VOLUME 2 ISSUE 6 DECEMBER 20, 2018

10 QUEER THINGS Un-Christmas

COVER

18 10

Holiday Camp What’s next for The Other Show?

VOICES

13

Hart Stopping

31 Last Christmas

Queer comics of color better than Kevin Hart Q&A

Winning

14

Meet bisexual state Rep. Renitta Shannon

35 They’re Off

FEATURES Q Voices

8

Q News

13

Q Shots

31

Queer Agenda The Q

17 38

38

36 Furry Fun theQatl.com

7

Q

VOICES

Battle

LINES

Kevin Hart, comedy and 20 comics you should care about more AS A QUEER PERSON WHO DOES STAND-UP COMEDY, I am frequently confronted with the homophobia of the past in present situations. Also being in my 40s, I have lived through a fair share of it first-hand, and let me tell you, I hate reruns.

Kevin Hart being named as Oscars host, and then subsequently stepping down as a result of old homophobic tweets resurfacing, has dominated my social media. Mind you, this is material he had previously been confronted about and apologized for and changed.

IAN ABER

The complaints were about gay slurs in tweets from 2010 and 2011, and sadly, a lot of comedians and celebrities were guilty of this back then, and yes sometimes now. More damning and problematic are Hart’s statements that he’d break a doll over his son’s head if he was playing with one, and how he’d try to prevent his son from being gay.

Let me tell you I have heard this premise so many times — the idea that a straight man would get on stage and say that they would try to beat “the gay” out of their child as a joke, for a laugh, is monstrous.

It’s also a telling display about how much fear there still is about being queer or perceived or associated with queerness.

To them, we live such sad, diminished lives that violence or death would be a better alternative than to be queer.

Given the amount of violence that queer people experience from people they know or are related to, it’s not hard to see the homophobic rhetoric too often becomes homophobic reality.

That is part of what’s so hard for us queers: This is not in the past. This is yesterday. This is today. This is tomorrow for us, and the less cis, white and gender-conforming we are, the more likely we are to be directly affected by it.

But again, Hart was confronted and apologized years ago, and his material has changed.

Nick Cannon — you know, Mariah’s ex — started digging up tweets with gay slurs from Amy Schumer, Sarah Silverman and 8

theQatl.com

Chelsea Handler from the same timeframe as Kevin Hart’s to illustrate that there is a racial double standard at play. Or maybe, it illustrates just how common it was for straight people to use gay slurs in the early 2000s. I was there, and it definitely was.

The real issue is what we choose to focus on. Want real lasting change in the entertainment industry?

Stop prioritizing what straight comedians said 10 years ago.

Start prioritizing what queer comedians are saying today.

Support and help create a generation of queer and inclusive comedians, and in 10 years those will be the hosts of your beloved awards shows.

Here are 20 queer comedians of color to follow, see and support in their path to give comedy a makeover.

Joel Kim Booster

Kai Choyce

twitter.com/ihatejoelkim

twitter.com/kaichoyce

Justin Covington instagram.com/jcov1

Kendra Dawsey instagram.com/ unamusedblackgirl

Dwayne Duke

Solomon Georgio

instagram.com/funnydwayne

twitter.com/solomongeorgio

Eman El Husseini

Jay Jackson

twitter.com/emanifique

jayjacksonentertainment.com

Sam Jay

Jay Jurden

twitter.com/SamJayComic

twitter.com/JayJurden

Kid Fury

Sampson McCormick

thekidfury.com

twitter.com/OfficialSampson

Bianca Moore

Julie Osborne

instagram.com/ biancaprobably

instagram.com/ comedianjulieosborne

Dewayne Perkins twitter.com/DewaynePerkins

Nikita Redkar twitter.com/nikitaredwoman

Julio Torres

Irene Tu

twitter.com/juliothesquare

twitter.com/irene_tu

Jaboukie Young White twitter.com/jaboukie

Akeem Woods instagram.com/akeemwoods

Ian Aber is a queer columnist, comic and showrunner. Read his full thoughts on this topic and all of his columns at theQatl.com.

We would like to thank our partners this year

We are looking forward to a magical 2019

Happy Holidays from Our Families to Yours!

Q

10 QUEER THINGS TOUR ATLANTA

Garden Lights Atlanta Botanical Garden atlantabg.org Fantasy Lights Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain callawaygardens.com Georgia Aquarium georgiaaquarium.org Chinese Lantern Festival Centennial Olympic Park centennialpark.com

Un-Christma  Not doing Christmas? Find your own reason for the season with 10 queer things to do on December 25 and all week NETFLIX & CHILL Alone or with a buddy, binge on your own brand of holiday fare.

Check these with our highest recommendations: Black Mirror, Bojack Horseman, GLOW, The Great British Baking Show, The Haunting of Hill House, Maniac, She-Ra Princess of Power, Wanderlust 10

theQatl.com

GATHER TOGETHER

Friends and fr-amily make the season bright

HIKE IT UP All of Georgia’s state parks are open, several within metro Atlanta. gastateparks.org

ICE SKATING The Park Tavern rink is closed Christmas Day, but Astor Ice Skating is fabulous at St. Regis Atlanta. stregisatlanta.com.

Park Tavern reopens Dec. 26. See the Queer Agenda calendar in this issue for details on an LGBTQ-specific event next week. parktavern.com

ssy Holidays

By Mike Fleming

VOLUNTEER GET OUT Movies followed by Chinese food used to be called “Jewish Christmas” because they were the only things open that day. Options have expanded, including these super-queer recommendations: The Favourite (photo) is at theaters, and Southern Art restaurant, owned by Chef Art Smith, serves a holiday menu all day. southernart.com

Giving of yourself could help stave off loneliness, or just warm that cold spot you’re harboring.

Hosea Feed the Homeless Christmas Dinner, 4hosea.org; Furkids Animal Rescue, furkids.org; Other Opportunities, handsonatlanta.org theQatl.com

11

Stand Out from the Crowd

Q Get noticed in Atlanta’s best LGBTQ weekly!

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

Tues-Thurs 5:30 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Fri-Sat 5 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.

Sunday 11 a.m.- 4 p.m.

TRIVIA TUESDAYS

Trivia with Ron Scoza Cash and Food Prizes $5 Summer Storm $3 Draught and Domestic Beer

WINE-DOWN WEDNESDAYS

Ask

1 A / Tue PP 2 P Ab s - S ETI RIC ou t O at Un ZER E t ur Din il 7 p S ne .m. rS pe cia ls

1/2 Price Bottles Of Wine

THROWBACK THURSDAYS $5 Old-Fashioned Martini $5 Rose Kennedy

FIRE IT UP FRIDAYS $5 Cherry Tree Fireball $5 Fuzzy Fire

theQatl.com

SALSA SATURDAYS

$5 House Margarita & Mojito $5 Honey Badger

SUNDAY Come Thru Queen! Drag Brunch

1425 Piedmont Ave. NE, Suite B, Atlanta  404-907-4712 eclecticbistroatlanta.com 12

theQatl.com

Fresh content served daily

NEWS Q

Two Doors

DOWN

My Sister’s Room moving to bigger Midtown space

By Patrick Saunders

POPULAR LESBIAN BAR MY SISTER’S ROOM WILL have a new home in 2019, doubling its space and throwing open the door just in time for a weeklong celebration of the Super Bowl in Atlanta on Feb. 3.

But the Midtown hotspot isn’t going far. It’s moving from their current location at 66 12th Street just two doors down to 84 12th Street in the space that once housed The Leopard Lounge.

“Everyone always said, ‘I wish the dancefloor was bigger and you could see the shows.’ Well guess what, now you can,” MSR co-owner Jen Maguire announced through Project Q Atlanta.

Jen Maguire said that when she and her wife, Jami Maguire, bought the bar in 2011, they always wanted to move to Midtown from the bar’s then-location in East Atlanta. They got their wish with a move in 2015, but they went with their second choice and a less ideal space.

Last week, their first choice became available again.

“We really want to be in the gayborhood, but to be in the gaybor-

hood, you’re limited [about the options],” Jami Maguire said. “So, we’re really excited about this location being available.”

The new building is 5,000 square feet, including a 2,500-squarefoot dance floor. There will be two levels, a new VIP section with bottle service and view of the stage, an enclosed heated patio and an outdoor patio.

There will be no cover on the main level, and the basement area will be used for special events, DJs and drag shows. The bar will continue to serve food at the new space as well.

Jen Maguire said renovations on the new space start next week and that it will take about 30 to 45 days to secure the necessary permits from the city.

“We’re going to run this location up until the day everyone says we’re approved,” she said. “The day they say you’re good to go and you can open is the day we shut down and open up the next day at the new location.”

“We’re grateful for 20 years and looking forward to another 20,” she added.

Student accuses gay Morehouse professor of sexual harassment A FORMER MOREHOUSE STUDENT IS SUING THE school for failing to help him after a male professor allegedly groped him repeatedly during a study abroad trip. But the professor says the accuser and other students are targeting him because he is gay.

The alleged victim is seeking monetary and punitive damages due to the school’s “deliberate indifference to known acts of harassment, sexual violence, discrimination and retaliation,” according to the lawsuit.

The unidentified student was a freshman when he went on the study abroad trip with other students to Brazil in May 2015. The lawsuit alleged that assistant professor Robert Peterson ordered him alcoholic drinks on the flight despite his being a minor. Then Peterson allegedly groped the student’s genitals.

“This occurred approximately four different times during the airplane ride from Miami to Brazil,” the lawsuit said. “Plaintiff pushed Defendant Peterson’s hand away each time.”

Peterson continued to sexually harass the student as well as other Morehouse students throughout the trip, the lawsuit said. This

included sending explicit text messages and making frequent comments about sex.

One of the text messages Peterson allegedly sent to students had a picture of a man’s penis, which Peterson referred to as a “shrimp salad/dinner.” He also repeatedly asked them “if they wanted a shrimp dinner,” the lawsuit said.

Peterson allegedly mimicked fellatio during a visit to a museum with African cultural sex symbols that depicted penises.

“This made numerous students on the trip uncomfortable and created a sexually hostile learning environment,” the lawsuit said.

Peterson also allegedly “touched or sucked a student’s nipple” while in a swimming pool and hosted a party in his hotel room where alcoholic drinks were offered to underage students.

Another chaperone on the trip became aware of Peterson’s behavior and reported it to a department chair after arriving home. But the lawsuit alleged that it was never reported to the Title IX office and Peterson continued to be the program lead and chaperone for the school’s study abroad program through at least May 2017.

Find fresh LGBTQ Atlanta news daily on theQatl.com. theQatl.com

13

Q

Q&A

Photo by Russ Youngblood 14

theQatl.com

‘When We Fight,

WE WIN’

Bisexual state Rep. Renitta Shannon ready to go for upcoming Georgia legislative session

By Patrick Saunders

WHEN RENITTA SHANNON CAME OUT, THE TIMING couldn’t have been better.

A Democrat state representative from Decatur, Shannon was frustrated by an October 2017 vote from the Trump administration against a United Nations resolution that, in part, condemned the use of the death penalty against LGBTQ people.

In response, she came out on the eve of National Coming Out Day and marched in the Atlanta Pride parade a few days later as a newly out, proud bisexual woman.

The lawmaker hit the headlines again when she announced she was boycotting Brian Kemp’s first major speech as governor-elect. In January, she’ll begin her second term in office, where she will continue fighting for LGBTQ rights, reproductive rights and workers’ rights.

Shannon took some time with Q to talk about bi erasure, staying positive when things look hopeless and going thrill-seeking.

What are your takeaways on the last year since coming out?

My takeaways are that visibility is more important than you know. Many people have approached me — including some candidates for public office locally — and said that my coming out made them more confident in being their most authentic selves, and it’s given them hope for the future of our community.

LGBTQ folks hear about ‘Bi Erasure.’ Is it a problem you experience first-hand?

Yes, I do from time to time, but I think that is changing as the Bi+ community grows.

It seems like the rights of women, LGBTQ people and people of color are in jeopardy. What gives you hope as a bisexual woman of color?

I know that when we fight, we win, and that powers me every day. I know that the needs of various communities I represent will never be met without a continued demand for equality and equity.

All of the organizing I see in the South and the increase of the centering of voices of queer women of color gives me hope, because I know that when we find solutions that work for the most consistently marginalized, every community experiences progress.

I grew up watching my dad as a community leader fight for civil rights and equity in the black community with organizations like NAACP and SCLC, so it’s not even anywhere near natural for me to just lay down so somebody can oppress me or my community.

Respectability politics is not my first concern. Justice and equity for all communities is the reason I fight. The status quo cannot continue.

With all that hard work, what do you do for fun?

I love adventure-seeking, doing things like skydiving, ziplining, going to theme parks, etc. But not go-kart racing, because I broke my right hand once doing that [laughing].

What’s something that people would be surprised to find out about you?

I actually really enjoy homemaking. This is a secret [laughing]. theQatl.com

15

Q

THE QUEER AGENDA

Nightmares B4 Christmas

The Best Queer Things To Do in Atlanta This Week

The dance party and drag show that only

December 20 - December 27

Taylor Alxndr can helm @ 529, 10 p.m.

THURSDAY, DEC. 20

529atlanta.com

Punk Rock Christmas

Nothing says East Atlanta’s queer bar like a “Queens of the Underworld” theme @

SATURDAY, DEC. 22

Mary’s, 10 p.m. marysatlanta.com Cliterati

Listen or join the monthly open mic and

reading series for marginalized voices with the

lesbian-feminist stalwarts @ Charis Books & More, 7:30 p.m. charisbooksandmore.com

FRIDAY, DEC. 21

Jane Lynch

The lesbian comic and actress brings her “Swingin’ Little Christmas”

crew to town for two performances @ City Winery, 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. citywinery.com

Unholy Night

Lavonia Elberton hosts Wussy’s annu-

The Neon Queen

You’ll never hear better ABBA covers than the ones by this band

al “Drag Me To Hell” holiday party @ Star Bar, 10 p.m. wussymag.com

@ Venkman’s, 9:30 p.m. venkmans.com

Bigger, Longer & Uncut

The size of DJ Eric’s party

does matter @ Atlanta Eagle, 10 p.m. atlantaeagle.com

FRIDAY, DEC. 21

A Very Queerly Christmas

Jingle Ball

The Queerly Beloved cast puts on a seasonal show

DJ Eric James hosts a no-cover

@ My Sister’s Room, 10:30 p.m. mysistersroom.com

man-on-man holiday dance off @ Heretic, 10 p.m. hereticatlanta.com

THURSDAY, DEC. 27 Beards, Bears & Otters on Ice

The slippy-slidey annual gathering of hairy gay dudes raising money for charity @ Park Tavern Ice Rink, 7 p.m. parktavern.com

Find even more LGBTQ events in the Queer Agenda each Thursday at theQatl.com.

theQatl.com

17

Q

QUEER CHRISTMAS

Last Christmas The Other Show cast closes the year and another chapter

E

ven in a city full of contenders, Edie Cheezburger’s one-of-a-kind stable of queens stand out. Who better to camp up the Q Christmas issue than the cast of the Other Show? Nobody better, that’s who.

As cast members turns looks on the following pages for contributing photographer Jon Dean, we check in with each one about plans for a queer holiday and a queer New Year as they embark into unknown territory leaving their most recent home at Midtown Tavern. 

18

theQatl.com

Photos by Jon Dean jondeanphoto.com

theQatl.com

19

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

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

Q

QUEER CHRISTMAS, Continued

Edie Cheezburger @ediecheezburger

What are your favorite queer holiday traditions?

Spending the holiday with my chosen family. Surrounding myself with people who love and uplift me is the best possible way to spend my time.

Favorite holiday song?

“Jingle Bells” by Barbra Streisand and “Mele Kalikimaka”

by Bette Midler.

What do you want for Christmas?

A cure for AIDS/HIV.

22

theQatl.com

What motivates you to perform?

I love giving people something different in their lives, bringing them out of their comfort zone and making them laugh. I also am really motivated by the difference I can create in the community.

Tell us about your experience with The Other Show?

Creating this show has been the best moment of my life, and I am so proud of every cast member that has contributed to the show. We have a long line of really talented individuals who have gone above and beyond expectations.

I am sad we’ve lost our home for now, but looking forward to what the future may hold.

What’s next for you? Where else can we see you perform?

I perform at Lips every Wednesday for Twisted Broadway and every Saturday night for Taboo, and Blake’s every Sunday for Super Sized Sundays.

Molly Rimswell @mollyrimswell

What are your favorite queer holiday traditions?

Dinners with chosen family are my favorite parts of the holiday season.

I like to bond over food.

Favorite holiday song?

“Silver Bells” by Elvis Presley or “Hard Candy Christmas” by Dolly Parton What do you want for Christmas?

Makeup? I’m really easy to please.

I’m just flattered that someone thought enough to get me a present.

What motivates you to perform?

Is “everything” an appropriate answer? I love the costumes, the choreography and the thought that must go into number. I also love the connections that I get to make with people in my community. I’ve found a family, and I love that performing has helped me find these people.

Tell us about your experience on the cast of The Other Show.

For me, joining the cast has been one of my biggest accomplishments in my career. The Other Show is the very first drag show that I have ever witnessed. It changed my life, so to be working with such esteemed entertainers has been so exciting.

I try to ask as many questions as I can about drag and their experience so I can grow. I try really hard not to fangirl about it, but I’ll let Edie decide if I am successful there or not.

What’s next for you?

There are web projects, photoshoots and a pageant in the works for 2019.

You can find me in every dumpster hurling trash at people for fun, or you can come to any of the following: Mary’s every first Saturday and fourth Thursday, Church every first Thursday, and anywhere else that will tolerate my annoying beard. theQatl.com

23

Q

QUEER CHRISTMAS, Continued

Taejah Thomas @taejah.thomas What are your favorite holiday traditions?

I’m Southern-born and Baptist raised, so I try to keep in tradition in how I was raised just to honor some if not all the things my grandmother has instilled in me. She was my everything.

Favorite holiday song?

“Let It Snow” by Boys to Men. It was released in 1993. I was 13 at the time, and I’ve loved, loved it since.

What do you want for Christmas?

Some time to just relax. Nothing money can buy, just some time to think about the good, bad and

24

theQatl.com

great of 2018. Drink a glass of wine and get a plan together on how I’m gonna be greater in 2019.

What motivates you to perform?

The enjoyment of my fans, friends and family. It’s not about the money — No one is obligated to tip —but about giving the people a great show knowing I gave them what they came for.

Tell us about your experience with The Other Show?

The Other Show has taught me to not just be a “glam entertainer” but challenged me to be more creative, think outside the box and be able to take risks. Knowing it’s not only for comedy, but showing me it’s OK to wear a penis hat on your head and know the fans not only love it but find it entertaining.

What’s next for you?

All I know is wherever there’s a stage, screaming gays and lights, I’ll be there spinning, turning, kicking and giving them life. You can find me at Ten on Saturdays with the Fantasy Girls and Sundays for Marys and Mimosas. There’s a new place opening on Sunday nights that I’m looking to start working (Keep your fingers crossed), and I’ll be wherever The Other Show lands.

theQatl.com

25

Q

QUEER CHRISTMAS, Continued

Jaye Lish

@mynameisjayelish What are your favorite queer holiday traditions?

Watching Invasion Christmas Carol at Dad’s Garage is always a treat. You get a splash of bizarre mixed with a classic story.

Favorite holiday song?

Vince Guaraldi’s A Charlie Brown Christmas album gives me the feels.

What do you want for Christmas?

A hippopotamus.

What motivates you to perform?

The connection. Sometimes it’s a song, a costume, the audience or the backstage magic. It’s a sisterhood of traveling wigs. Sometimes it’s the last thing I want to do with my day and the only thing that makes a day good, all balled up into one. Drag isn’t easy. If it was, everyone would do it.

Tell us about your experience with The Other Show?

It has been a very special journey. It’s sort of like Frankenstein, and Edie is the doctor. It’s a sum of its parts. We are either met with cheers or pitchforks, but either way it’s a good story.

What’s next for you?

I’ll be at the Armorettes’ reunion show in January. Edie, Other Show alumna Miami Royale and I have something special planned. We were all Armorettes together. Aside from that, I’ll be around.

26

theQatl.com

theQatl.com

27

Q

QUEER CHRISTMAS, Continued

Orchid @f icklefleur What are your favorite queer holiday traditions?

I absolutely love getting together with my close friends Matt and Kevin Robertson and helping them decorate their tree. Matt and I have made it a tradition to take down all the decorations Christmas Day and drag the tree to the curb… or the neighbor’s curb. BYE CHRISTMAS! We like New Year’s better anyway. We’ve been spending New Year’s Eve in a cabin, and we have the best time cooking, drinking, and decorating barbies in all kinds of crazy crafts. We ritualistically burn them in a fire to ring in the New Year.

Favorite holiday song?

“The Nutcracker Suite” by Tchaikovsky What do you want for Christmas?

Gareth Pugh What motivates you to perform?

The thrill of bringing an idea to life is incredible. I don’t buck and kick and flip, so I do my best to bring the audience a concept.

A bit of nostalgia, comedy, drama and a fashion moment are how I like to entertain.

Tell us about your experience on the cast of The Other Show.

The Other Show is actually what inspired me to want to start drag. I always loved fashion, costuming, dressing up, and as a young child could not get enough of Rupaul’s 1996 album Foxy Lady. However, it wasn’t until The Other Show when I saw drag being pushed conceptually that I considered it could be a path I was interested in taking. I’ve admired the show for so long, it feels like kismet to be on cast now. Things have a way of coming full circle.

What’s next for you? Where else can we see you perform?

You can catch me guesting at Mary’s, Ten and MSR occasionally. For anyone who is down to travel, you can see me, Tammy Whynot, Mitzi Pennington, Anita Cox and Thierry Meisel in our monthly Nashville show She Haw at Third Coast Comedy Club.

28

theQatl.com

Q

QUEER CHRISTMAS, Continued

Keep your eyes peeled for The Other Show in 2019: facebook.com/TheOtherShow

30

theQatl.com

THE LAST OTHER SHOW AT MIDTOWN TAVERN

Full gallery on Project Q at theQatl.com

Q SHOTS Q

PHOTOS BY RUSS YOUNGBLOOD theQatl.com

31

Q

Q SHOTS

AGLCC OUT IN THE KITCHEN

Full gallery on Project Q at theQatl.com

32

theQatl.com

PHOTOS BY RUSS YOUNGBLOOD

theQatl.com

33

Q

Q SHOTS

BAD SANTA FOR AV200 AT WOOFS

Full gallery on Project Q at theQatl.com

34

theQatl.com

PHOTOS BY RUSS YOUNGBLOOD

SANTA SPEEDO RUN AT HUDSON GRILLE MIDTOWN

Full gallery on Project Q at theQatl.com

Q SHOTS Q

PHOTOS BY RUSS YOUNGBLOOD

theQatl.com

35

Q

Q SHOTS

JINGLE MY BALLS AT HERETIC

Full gallery on Project Q at theQatl.com

36

theQatl.com

PHOTOS BY RUSS YOUNGBLOOD

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?!

To Tell the

TRUTH

Awkward talks, letting go, and other queer conundrums

Q

My partner’s breath smells like he spent the night eating the ass of every guy on the rugby squad. And he probably did. Well, not the entire squad, but…

Anyway, that he’s an ass-eating slut is fine by me, but how do I broach the topic of his stank breath?

I want to kiss him, but seriously a hazmat mask is not going to set the mood — or even be enough to shut out the stench.

Help!

Dear Gross: Your situation may be phrased creatively, but it’s common: No one wants to tell anyone that they have bad breath or too-heavy body odor and needs to do something about it, but everyone wants someone else to tell them as soon as possible.

Sure it’s a touchy subject, but you owe your partner the truth. In queer conundrums, communication is always better than letting a situation fester. And since this is your partner, the only person who loves him as much as his granny, you are the right person for the job Try the good old compliment sandwich: Deliver the news between bits of praise.

“The whole team knows you’re the best in town at eating butt, but you do yourself a disservice by not gargling afterwards. The rest of you is so hot that if you fix the breath issue, they’ll all be back in line for more, and as always I’ll be at the front of the line.”

Even if it takes a minute, or a week, he’ll appreciate it and be glad it came from you in private without judgment.

Q

After 13 years, I thought “happily ever after” was ours. I was wrong. Dirty laundry aside, she’s gone. I’m left with the dogs, a mortgage, and a house full of painful memories.

Here’s the crazy part: I’d take her back in a second. I’ve spent too much time on this to close the door on a whole era of my life. I don’t want help moving on. I want my life back!

38

theQatl.com

Dear Let It Go: The door you’re clinging to is already closed. It’s OK not to bounce back right away, but it’s not OK to wallow indefinitely.

Hug your dogs, call your friends, hire a counselor, even sell the house, but whatever you do, let her go because she’s already gone.

Q

Things are hot and heavy, and all the clothes are off.

We’re dirty-talking up a storm all the way up to the brink, and right before I head into the final furlong, he stops me for a second then changes his mind. We do the deed and he leaves.

Then it hits me, what if he’s HIV positive and decided not to tell me? Help!

Dear Too Late: Even if we all agree that everyone should disclose their HIV status to sex partners every time, let’s also admit that it’s difficult. And hello, there’s definitely no use being flabbergasted if you never directly asked the question.

Yes, poz guys should disclose their status, and so should neg guys to the best of their knowledge, but let’s not kid ourselves.

Only you can protect you, and that means having “the talk” before the dirty talk. Chest up, put it out there, and get back to what you really want to talk about.

You ask, what if he’s HIV positive and didn’t tell you, maybe even lied to you by omission. Let me ask: What if he says he’s negative, didn’t lie, but doesn’t know he’s actually positive?

You are still in charge of your own status and behaviors.

The Q is for entertainment purposes and not professional counseling.

Send your burning Qs to mike@theqatl.com.

ILLUSTRATION BY BRAD GIBSON

HOT FOR THE HOLIDAYS 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.

BODY SCULPTING

30% OFF in December

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