Q
January 30, 2020
PLACES TO GO, PEOPLE TO SEE IN LGBTQ-ATL
inform | inspire
Matteo
LANE Queer Comic Is Coming for You
ARTIST RILEY MAYHEM PREPS PAPER PORTRAITS ASSUMING THAT I’M MY BOYFRIEND’S DAD GEORGIA, POLITICS & AIDS WATCH 2020
Queer Agenda The Q Q Shots The Weekly Print Publication of Project Q Atlanta
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In the LIFE
Comedy, tragedy, politics and art mark the week in queer culture IF WE WERE TO DESIGN a snapshot of local LGBTQ life it would
look a lot like the patchwork of queer Atlanta’s people to see, places to go and ideas to ponder in this edition of Q.
Eric Paulk leads a charge into the Gold
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 BOWEN-YOUNGBLOOD NATIONAL ADVERTISING RIVENDELL MEDIA SALES@RIVENDELLMEDIA.COM 212-242-6863 LOCAL ADVERTISING SALES@THEQATL.COM 404-949-7071
Dome this week during AIDS Watch 2020, and in Q Voices, he outlines the real reason
why Georgia can’t eliminate the disease. The
truth is a real-life tragedy, even as other tragic shames are playing out at Atlanta Pride MIKE FLEMING EDITOR & PUBLISHER
and the Rush Center in Q News.
Fear not. Relief and hope come from with-
in our own communities as well. Artist Riley Mayhem creates paper
portraits, takes the LGBTQ-ATL by storm and talks empowerment
in our Q&A interview. Speaking of storms, one-man whirlwind Matteo Lane brings his comedy tour to town and chats with Q before his three nights of laughs to cure what ails you.
To top it all off, another May-December couple faces other people’s daddy issues in The Q advice column, and a tip on how to shut down the shame
applies to whatever intrusive questions you’re being asked in your own life. It’s enough to drive a queer to drink. Belly up to the events in the
Queer Agenda calendar of downtime at a glance, and then see who already got a snort full in this week’s Q Shots photos.
For evermore in Atlanta’s LGBTQ quilt of comedy, tragedy, politics
and art, find new content in print each week and online every day at
theQatl.com. In the meantime, I’m never very far from any of it, so hit me up at mike@theQatl.com or on Instagram @theQatl.
theQatl.com
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE VOLUME 3 ISSUE 6 JANUARY 30, 2020
CREATIVE FORCE Artist Riley Mayhem
COVER
19 14
Buongiorno!
Queer comic Matteo Lane
COMMUNITY
13 11
25 Sporty Spice
Shake Up
Atlanta Pride changes hit staff THE QUEER AGENDA
22
Going Places
26 Fellowship Food
The best things to do in Atlanta this week.
FEATURES
Q Voices Q News The Queer Agenda Q Shots The Q 6
theQatl.com
8 12 22 25 30
30
28 Huge Star
LOCATIONS IN
BUCKHEAD • VIRGINIA HIGHLANDS • SANDY SPRINGS
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7
Q
VOICES
Join US
Helping jump the biggest hurdle at AIDS Watch 2020 HIV HAS ALWAYS BEEN POLITICAL.
less of transmission or ability to transmit. HIV exposure laws are relics from an earlier time and fly in the face of the science around how HIV is transmitted. These laws perpetuate stigma, and they deter people — especially black Americans and LGBTQ folks — from accessing HIV testing. Laws that criminalize HIV have nothing to do with safety and everything to do with control. They give law enforcement purview over our sex lives. Critically, these laws try to
Reagan took five years to say the word “AIDS.” Bush I
take away a person’s right to disclose their health status on
signed the Americans with Disabilities and Ryan White Care Acts, but required states to certify prosecutions of peo-
their own terms. We have the tools to bring the epidemic
ple who knowingly exposed others to HIV,
under control by Trump’s “deadline,” but the
giving rise to HIV disclosure laws.
promise of ending HIV cannot be realized
Under Clinton, the CDC named HIV as the
without an honest assessment of existing pol-
leading cause of death for black men between
icies and strong HIV advocates on the ground
ages 25-44. Under Bush II, activists had to
holding policymakers accountable.
fight to expose policy shortfalls and confront systemic drivers of HIV that also restrict access to care and dictate moral behaviors. Under Obama, the U.S. Justice Department
Georgia is indicative of the rest of the counERIC PA U L K
issued temporary and non-binding guidelines suggesting elimination of HIV-specific criminal laws, except in a few specific cases. Flash forward to today. President Trump has promised
among marginalized communities including
young, black, gay and bisexual men and transgender communities. The epidemic is driven by social and economic inequities that include poor access to healthcare, criminalization and stigma.
to end AIDS by 2030, but more than 30 states, including
When these factors are set against a policy landscape aimed
Georgia, have active HIV-specific statutes and cases that
at undermining the social safety net, weakening the Afford-
criminalize people living with HIV.
able Care Act, and dismantling discrimination protections
This week, I will join other state advocates at the Gold
for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, efforts to
Dome to do something about it, and you can too. What is HIV criminalization? According to AIDS United, it’s an “overly broad use of criminal law to penalize alleged, perceived or potential HIV exposure; alleged nondisclosure of a known HIV-positive status prior to sexual contact… or
8
try. The burden of new HIV transmissions is
end the HIV epidemic are undermined. As such, we must hold our elected officials accountable and advance legislation that actually supports ending the epidemic. Please register to join me and other advocates from around the state on February 6 to demand HIV criminal justice re-
non-intentional HIV transmission.”
form during the AIDS Watch Georgia 2020 day of advocacy
When HIV is criminalized, people living with HIV can face
at the Gold Dome.
unjustly long jail sentences simply for having sex — regard-
Eric Paulk is deputy director of Georgia Equality. georgiaequality.org
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PHOTOS COURTESY TRAINING ROOM ATL 10
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COMMUNITY Q
Ch-Ch-Ch-CHANGES Two employees quit as Atlanta Pride turmoil continues By Patrick Saunders HALF OF ATLANTA PRIDE’S STAFF RESIGNED IN the past month as the non-profit manages sustained criticism from former board members, committee members and employees. Taylor Alxndr’s last day with the group was Dec. 17, they told Project Q Atlanta. Kimble Sorrells’ last day will be Feb. 6, according to an internal Atlanta Pride email. Alxndr was outreach and events specialist, and Sorrells was programs and partnerships manager. The remaining Atlanta Pride staff members at this writing are Executive Director Jamie Fergerson and Operations Manager Lynn Barfield. They declined to comment about their resignations. Fergerson told Project Q Atlanta that Alxndr and Sorrells have been “valuable members” since being hired in 2017. “They have grown and diversified our programs and community partnerships, making APC a better organization,” she said in a statement. Fergerson said that Alxndr left Atlanta Pride to focus on other work and creative projects. Sorrells left to care for a new baby that they and their wife had in October, which Sorrells confirmed in an email to the group’s members on Jan. 10. “I appreciate that both have offered to continue working with APC on specific programs and goals in the future.” Two new Atlanta Pride positions have been created to fill Alxndr’s and Sorrells’ roles, according to Fergerson. “One position will be posted right away, and the other will be posted in a few weeks,” she said. Alxndr is a lead organizer with Southern Fried Queer Pride. Sorrells spoke out publicly against anti-LGBTQ “religious freedom” bills as an organizer for the Reconciling Ministries Network in 2017. The departure of Alxndr and Sorrells follows several board
Taylor Alxndr and Kimble Sorrells
member resignations, the exit of key volunteers, and criticism of the group’s leadership in recent months. An attorney hired by Atlanta Pride last summer to do an internal audit recommended replacing Fergerson and making wholesale changes to a “clearly dysfunctional” board, according to a memo she wrote to the board in August. Atlanta Pride Board Chair Sean Cox resigned in October after a failed effort to oust Fergerson. He warned that the organization had “significant financial issues, management issues, contract issues” and sponsor complaints, which Fergerson denied. Pride managed the fallout from the leaked internal reports and criticism from current and former employees, volunteers, committee members and board members by hiring a public relations specialist. Fergerson also asked Atlanta police to investigate the leaked documents, though an incident report lists the incident as a “non-crime.” Remaining board members tried to oust board member Chris Jones in November after he publicly raised concerns about the organization’s leadership and financial future, but the vote failed. Jones and Travis Brookshire gave up their seats on the board in December and claimed that the organization conducted a “sham” board election, is awash in secrecy and is plagued by entrenched power. Read the full report and the latest on this and all news of local LGBTQ interest at theQatl.com ALXNDR PHOTO BY JON DEAN
theQatl.com
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Q
IN BRIEF
Queer civic activist jumps into state House race in Atlanta KYLE LAMONT LAUNCHED A BID for the House District 57 seat in
Atlanta, pitting him against a gay former Atlanta City
Councilmember and a former gubernatorial candidate. The
33-year-old sommelier and civic activist wants to highlight
areas of the district he
said get shortchanged. “Southwest Atlanta
needs to be represented Kyle Lamont and at the table when
it comes to the issues that need to be addressed within District 57,” Lamont told Project Q Atlanta.
Lamont would also fight anti-LGBTQ
“religious freedom” bills and wants to
tackle healthcare. He joins a Democratic primary field that includes former
Atlanta City Coun-
cilmember Alex Wan and former guberna-
torial candidate Stacey Evans. They hope to fill the seat of state
Rep. Pat Gardner, an LGBTQ ally who is
leaving the legislature after 20 years.
Lamont is president
of the Oakland City
Community Organization, and he’s a board member with the Fulton County Devel-
opment Authority and the Atlanta Land
Trust. This is his first run for public office.
DeKalb, state struggle to spend $1.5 million HIV grant HEALTH OFFICIALS WITH THE state and DeKalb County opened two clinics and hired additional staff to
fight HIV, but needed an extension to spend all of the $1.5 million from a new federal initiative to end HIV.
The funds came from the U.S. De-
partment of Health & Human Services, which in July named DeKalb
12
state health department. The agencies had until Dec. 31 to use
the funds but failed to spend $355,000 of it. DeKalb had $235,000 left to
spend, while the state had $120,000.
An extension was granted on Jan. 17,
and it gives the state and DeKalb until June 30 to spend the money.
as one of four pilot sites to jumpstart
The plan is to build on what’s already
epidemic. The $1.5 million was split
DeKalb opened its first PrEP clinic
of Public Health, which received
partment of Public Health directed
Health, which received $905,000,
ter at 246, a sexual health clinic for HIV
the federal initiative to end the HIV
been accomplished with the funds.
between the Georgia Department
in December, and the Georgia De-
$595,000, and the DeKalb Board of
$335,000 of its grant to open the Cen-
according to a spokesperson for the
testing and referrals to HIV services.
theQatl.com
Gov. Brian Kemp
Kemp pushes adoption reform, avoids LGBTQ concerns GEORGIA GOV. BRIAN KEMP announced plans to overhaul Georgia’s adoption and foster care system, but sidestepped the issue of anti-LGBTQ efforts that killed reform legislation in past years. Kemp introduced the overhaul during his annual State of the State address on Jan. 16 at the State Capitol, where he also announced the launch of the Families First Commission, which would change the way the state’s foster care system operates. As lawmakers looked to revise the state’s adoption laws in 2017, an anti-LGBTQ amendment to a reform bill would have allowed faith-based agencies receiving public funds to refuse to serve LGBTQ parents. The amendment killed the bill. Kemp told the AJC earlier this month that he would address any anti-LGBTQ provisions to adoption reform legislation “when the time comes.” “My focus is not on poison pills,” he said. “It’s on making it easier for people to adopt foster care children. We’ll deal with those individual concerns as legislators have them.” House Speaker David Ralston slammed efforts to allow faith-based agencies to deny LGBTQ adoptions earlier this month. Watch Kemp’s full State of the State address at theQatl.com. Reports by Patrick Saunders for Project Q Atlanta. Read the full stories and find local LGBTQ content updated daily at theQatl.com.
theQatl.com
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Q
Q&A
Finding HER WAY
Queer artist Riley Mayhem discovers her niche By Patrick Saunders
RILEY MAYHEM DEVELOPED HER OWN METHOD OF creating paper portraits when she was in high school, then made the leap to become a working artist about a decade later. In the two short years since then, she started doing commissions and has been included in art shows around Atlanta. Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms even chose Mayhem as one of the 20 artists featured in an LGBTQ-themed exhibition at City Hall last summer. The queer and pansexual Indianapolis, Ind., native chatted with Q on what brought her to Atlanta, her secrets to being a successful artist and sharing her queer identity in her work. What were you like growing up?
What drew you to paper portraits over other mediums? At some point around the beginning of high school I made the connection of combining Photoshop work with cutting out paper, and my technique just naturally evolved from there. I don’t recall having a particular artist influence or anything like that, it just sort of... happened. Thankfully, it’s been interesting and unique enough of a medium to hold my interest and make cool gifts for others, and I still do it a dozen years later. What lessons would you share about being a working artist? Less about being an artist and more about how to market, advertise, network and schmooze. I once heard, “The thing about being theQatl.com
I’ve also learned that being an artist is less about how good you are, or how many ideas you have, and more about the fact that you are sticking with it and continuing to make art. The ideas naturally come, and you will only get better and better the more you do. You do not need all the answers or a perfect game plan in the beginning. I promise it will happen organically and you will find your way! Does your queer identity factor into your work?
‘There’s nothing like being able to do more risqué work and have people be able to appreciate it, truly, on the level I intended.’
I was a very free-spirited kid and was always challenging myself and the world around me. There were never enough answers to all of my questions, so I taught myself how to find the answers I was searching for instead of waiting on others to provide them for me.
14
a professional artist is that you’re only really doing art about a third of the time,” and it absolutely rings true. You really need to be dedicated to making it work to become self-sustaining.
— Riley Mayhem
Absolutely. I like doing portraits of a lot of women, of people fucking, being kinky, of triads, or lesbians kissing. It also means I get to show at more fun and interesting events like Pride, Frolicon or even the mayoral LGBTQ+ exhibit, where my more interesting or queer pieces were able to be displayed and celebrated. There’s nothing like being able to do more risqué work and have people be able to appreciate it, truly, on the level I intended.
What three people, living or dead, would you want to have dinner and a conversation with, and why? I want to have dinner with anyone and everyone! I thrive on getting to know people. Tell me all your deepest secrets, and I will do so in turn. Let me roll around inside of you a bit; let me figure out what makes you tick. Sure, Socrates or MLK would be insanely amazing to meet and converse with, but I promise I will glean insights, knowledge and wisdom from you and your life experiences too. Let’s go have dinner at Intermezzo and meander in Piedmont Park anytime and I will love the world inside of you. Find Riley Mayhem and her work on Instagram @mayhempaperportraits and at mayhemportraits.com.
PHOTOCOURTESY BY RUSS BOWEN-YOUNGBLOOD PHOTOS TRAINING ROOM ATL theQatl.com theQatl.com
15 15
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COVER Q
Multi-talented funny man returns to Atlanta
PHOTO (AND Q COVER PHOTO) BY ORIGINAL PENGUIN
theQatl.com
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Q
MATTEO LANE continued
By Ian Aber
C
omic Matteo Lane has been tearing it up on Comedy Central, dishing it hot on his podcast Inside the Closet with the sublimely funny and equally queer Emma Willmann,
and stocking #InstaGay with shirtlessness and sass. And now, he’s back in Atlanta for three nights of comedy, Jan. 30 – Feb. 1.
The master storyteller is also an amazing storyboard
Matteo, what pisses you off? Answer that question you just asked yourself here: Well Matteo, I’m glad you asked. I hate non-Italians eating bad Italian food thinking that’s what Italian food is supposed to be.
If your comedy was a pasta dish, what pasta dish would it be?
artist and illustrator. Q catches up with Matteo to talk
Pasta Arrabbiata, because I’m angry a lot.
Joan, Fanny and Maria, and being even gayer than he
island?
about Italian food, inherited humor, the holy trinity of
Celebrity you’d want to be stranded with on a desert
ever thought possible.
Mariah. I could help her train her voice again.
This is your second time in Atlanta. When were you here, and did it set your expectations?
The first time was shooting my Netflix special. I loved the audience then, and I’m excited to come back and do more shows.
What else do you plan on doing while here? Probably go to a gym, watch Ghost Adventures, and look for good Italian food. That’s usually my routine on the road.
As a child, when did you know you could make people laugh?
I come from a large family. I have (still counting) 28
cousins, and we all grew up near each other. So in my family, I’m not the funniest. But I think my family’s
sense of humor is what I use on stage. It’s nice to share
Celebrity you’d want to trap on desert island alone forever?
Piers Morgan. It’s enough already If 13-year-old you saw you today, what would they say to you about where you are now?
They’d say, “Wow. I’m way gayer than I thought. Cool.” If you could play any role, who would you want to play?
Maria Callas in Masterclass or Fanny Brice in Funny Girl.
Advice for up and coming queer comedic performers? Be yourself, think positively and embrace challenge. Worst advice you have ever received?
that with the world.
Try seafood.
Favorite thing to hear after you perform?
Anything coming out that you would like folks to
“You were funny.” That’s it.
know about?
Least favorite thing to hear after you perform?
Date me.
Anything, really! (laughs) I don’t wanna hear “You
How do you want to be remembered?
Who is your favorite comedian to watch and why?
ing pasta and a champion for Maria Callas.
Joan Rivers. No one is funnier, smarter or more enter-
Matteo Lane descends on Atlanta Jan. 30 – Feb. 1 at
look tired.”
taining.
20
Ask yourself a question.
theQatl.com
As someone who understood the complexity of cook-
Laughing Skull Lounge. laughingskulllounge.com
Q
THE QUEER AGENDA
The Best Queer Things To Do in Atlanta January 30 – February 5
THURSDAY, JAN. 30 Atlanta LGBTQ Affairs City officials present the findings of their first Biennial Report @ Creative Approach, 6 p.m. atlgbtq.atlantaga.gov HRC Gala Reveal Party Everybody loves a surprise reveal, and you love finding out about this year’s HRC Dinner theme over drinks @ No Mas Cantina, 6:30 p.m. hrcatlanta.com
DILF: Kinky Beats, Feb. 1
Bull in a China Shop The latest production by Atlanta’s queer theater troupe hits the boards @ Out Front Theatre, 8 p.m. Runs
SATURDAY, FEB. 1
through Feb. 15. outfronttheatre.com
DILF: Kinky Beats
HRC Gala Reveal Party, Jan. 30
All the way from Australia and in full drag, DJ Kitty Glitter leaves it all on the dance floor @ Heretic, 10 p.m. heretictlanta.com
Heyday DJ Kimber serves up her ’80s dance party for the EAV crowd @ The
Bull in a China Shop, Jan. 30
Basement, 9 p.m. basementatl.com DJ Deanne After Hours
LGBTQIA Mix & Mingle Come solo or bring a friend to this new pop-up social event. This month, $1 of every pint goes to Rainbow House @ Arches Brewing,
Make Out Party, Jan. 31
6 p.m. archesbrewing.com
FRIDAY, JAN. 31 DJ Nark’s Nark Magazine brings local hosts, talent and go-gos together for a dance @ Heretic, 8 p.m. hereticatlanta.com Atlanta’s lesbian-feminist bookstore and charity collective raises funds with
xionatlanta
DJ Deanne, Feb. 1
SUNDAY, FEB. 2 The Color Purple The songs you love from the LGBTQ-led thespians @ Actor’s Express, 5 p.m. actors-express.com Armorettes Dude looks like a lady against HIV in Atlanta @ Midtown Moon, 8 p.m. facebook.com/midtownmoon
Wild Nights With Emily The lesbian festival darling featuring Molly Shannon’s stunning performance as Virginia Wolfe screens @ Out Front
a spoken-word show by writers
Theatre, 6:30 p.m. outonfilm.org
from various genres @ Charis Books & More, 7:30 p.m.
theQatl.com
Roosters, 3 a.m. – 7 a.m. facebook.com/
MONDAY, FEB. 3
OUTrageous Cabaret
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shaking your ass @ Xion inside BJ
Wild Nights With Emily, Feb. 3
Make Out Party
charisbooksandmore.com
Bars close, but you never have to stop
Heyday, Feb. 1
Find an expanded Queer Agenda calendar for the weekend every Thursday at theQatl.com.
FIELD DAY BEER BUST AT WOOFS
Full gallery on Project Q at theQatl.com
Q SHOTS Q
PHOTOS BY RUSS BOWEN-YOUNGBLOOD theQatl.com
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Q
Q SHOTS
MLK DAY RUSTIN-LORDE BREAKFAST
Full gallery on Project Q at theQatl.com
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PHOTOS BY PATRICK SAUNDERS
TEN ATLANTA’S 7TH ANNIVERSARY
Full gallery on Project Q at theQatl.com
Q SHOTS Q
PHOTOS BY RUSS BOWEN-YOUNGBLOOD theQatl.com
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Q
Q SHOTS
ANTONIO BIAGGI AT BJ ROOSTERS
Full gallery on Project Q at theQatl.com
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Q
THEQ?! DADDY Not Dad Fighting assumptions that I’m my boyfriend’s father
Q
I was as surprised as anyone when a 22-year-old man expressed an interest in dating me when I was 48, but I’m ecstatic to have been with that same man for seven years now. Adding him to my life has been truly a blessing, but while I did expect that some people wouldn’t understand, I couldn’t predict the constant embarrassment we get from them. It’s all cute and fun to call me his daddy, but it’s a whole other ballgame when people assume I’m his actual dad. We usually correct them and play it off, but I feel like we shouldn’t have to. Sometimes people even expect us to explain in detail what “the deal is” with us. It makes me feel old and perverted, and it makes him feel like he’s got a weird fetish. When embarrassed by these incidents, my boyfriend and I are at odds about how to handle them. I tend to clam up and tune out without addressing the situation at all. He puts their questions, assumptions and intrusions back on them in a catty way I hate. If they are heavy-set, he asks how long it took them to get that way and how far they are going to let it get. If they are married, he asks them what they see in their spouse. Is there a productive way for us to address the embarrassment and stop these assumptions once and for all so that we are not constantly on the defensive? Dear Daddy: Right now, fathers in their 50s everywhere are out and about with their sons in their 20s, so of course some people assume that you are his dad. Get used to it. You won’t stop that assumption, but you can handle it better. I agree that responding to rudeness with more of the same just perpetuates meanness, not understanding. As the senior partner, you have the privilege and responsibility to put your 25 years of maturity and extra experience into action. Neither of you has to take on other people’s discomfort as your own. You’re only as old or perverted as you accept in your heart. Your embarrassment only reinforces theirs, and that
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theQatl.com
goes for the example you set for your boyfriend when you “disappear” to nurse your inner shame. Reject the indignity others try to put on you and tell your boyfriend — before, during and after assumptions arise — that you feel proud and lucky to be his man and that you don’t care what other people think. When those awkward moments come, know in your heart that you don’t have to explain yourselves to anyone. Then don’t. On the other hand, if you are motivated to respond, acknowledge that it’s natural to assume the dad thing, but that you can assure them you are equally and blissfully happy. If they are a friend, ask them honestly how they’d handle that line of questioning and be open to their response. Here’s a trick for anyone who’s reached their limit while being asked prying questions: Smile, look into their eyes and say nothing. If they press, smile bigger. Again? Smile bigger and raise your eyebrows at them. Just keep staring and smiling and decide that you’ll do whatever it takes to outlast their attempts to get more words out of you. They will get the picture. Look. You can’t change your ages or other people, but you can show each other at every turn that you’re happy together and plan to stay that way for a long, long time. The Q is for entertainment purposes and not professional counseling. Send your burning Qs to mike@theqatl.com. ILLUSTRATION BY BRAD GIBSON