Q
BRENT STAR BRENT STAR Who Do You Think You Are?
inform | inspire
November 30, 2017
SEXY
De’Andre Pickett HAS A DREAM
as Hell and
QUEER AF Crush Your LGBTQ Look This Party Season
Pronouns & Monikers
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
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Toy Party The Q The Queer Agenda Q Shots
INSIDE THIS ISSUE VOLUME 1 ISSUE 3 NOVEMBER 30, 2017
PEOPLE
Super Star
22
16
COVER STORY
Seeing Red
Queer holiday looks that let you do seasonal without being cheesy.
10 QUEER THINGS
13 8
In Your Skin
30 Happy Birthday
Finances and fitness? Psh. Sexy is as sexy does. COMMUNITY
Good Fight
12
Candidate De’Andre Pickett talks to Podcast Q
34 Leather Up
FEATURES Q Voices
8
Q News
14
Q Shots
30
The Q
38
6
34
36 Never Forget
Q
COMMUNITY
Breaking
OUT of the Box
De’Andre Pickett on why he’s running as an out candidate and how he could become the first-ever LGBT African-American man elected to the Georgia House By Matt Hennie About to embark on his third campaign, De’Andre Pickett faced a difficult decision: Run as his “authentic self ” and embrace a campaign that could make LGBT history in Georgia. Or avoid the issue as he had in earlier races. He picked running as an out candidate for the first time and hasn’t looked back. “It’s about being comfortable with you. It’s about being comfortable within yourself,” Pickett says on a new episode of Podcast Q. “And so I said at the end of the day, I am who I am and I’m going to continue to fight for every individual, every black young man, every black woman, every gay, straight, every lesbian, every queer, every transgender, every individual who has ever felt like they had to be something for someone and they could not be their authentic self. I am going to fight for you. “I’m going to speak for you because I know what that feels like it and I never again will allow myself to be placed in that kind of box.” Pickett – an educator, civic activist and church elder – faces a December 5 runoff for the District 60 seat in the Georgia House. He placed second in a three-person general election and is now running against Kim Schofield in the runoff. Pickett’s campaign has centered on education, healthcare, criminal justice and economic growth in the legislative dis12
trict, which sits in Fulton and Clayton counties and includes portions of East Point, Forest Park and Southwest Atlanta. He’s familiar with the workings of the Gold Dome after several years as chief-of-staff to two lawmakers. So stepping into the race was a natural move, Pickett said. “It has been about community, about making sure that the people are represented,” Pickett says. But after two past races – East Point City Council in 2013 and the Fulton County Board of Education – Pickett also wanted to run this campaign as an LGBT candidate. “For me, it really was a hard decision, but at the same time you get to a place where you get tired,” he tells Podcast Q. “You get tired of this being this person and being this persona that everybody wants you to be, and even though you’re an amazing person, even though you’re speaking great things to people and
Q
Q NEWS Constitution article published on the day of TDOR. Barrin, Dangerfield and Schultz were the 15th, 17th, and 22nd deaths nationwide. But activists told the AJC that the total is not completely accurate. They told of at least two other transgender people killed in Georgia in 2017, both in the Atlanta metro area. Police misidentifying the gender of victims, as well as family rejection of a person’s gender identity, also contribute to inaccuracies.
Eric Banks and Barney Simms
‘Gay panic’ defendant gets 35 years in killing Atlanta civic activist By Matt Hennie The man accused of killing gay civic activist Barney Simms by gunning him down in Simms’ front yard pleaded guilty on Monday and was sentenced to 35 years in prison. The 18-year-old killer, Eric Banks, Jr., pleaded guilty as his trial was about to open in a Fulton County courtroom earlier this month. Banks shot Simms twice in the back outside his Southwest Atlanta home on April 9, 2016.
Police said robbery was the motive, as Banks took Simms’ television, wallet and 2016 Lexus. Banks said he shot Simms, 70, to defend himself from Simms’ sexual advances.
Fulton Superior Court Judge Kimberly Esmond Adams sentenced Banks to 35 years in prison without parole. Banks pleaded guilty to malice murder, three counts of felony murder, hijacking a motor vehicle, armed robbery and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
“Barney Simms was a well-respected leader and community activist,” Fulton District Attorney Paul Howard said in a prepared statement. “Mr. Simms’ death was a senseless killing leaving a large hole in our community. It is our hope that this plea to murder will bring a sense of closure to the family and to the citizens of our county.” Simms met Banks two days before the shooting, and the pair exchanged phone numbers. On April 9, picked up Simms, and the pair ate at a nearby Waffle House before returning to Simms’ home. Less than an hour later, Banks gunned down Simms, and neighbors found the body in the hedges of Simms’ yard.
Violence against transgender Georgians at all-time high With deaths including (clockwise from top left in accompanying photo) Candance Towns in Macon, Ava Le’Ray Barrin in Athens, TeeTee Dangerfield in Atlanta and Scout Schultz at Georgia Tech, the pain of national Transgender Day of Remembrance on Nov. 20 cut especially deep locally this year. The first 10 months of 2017 have seen two more violent deaths of transgender people than all of last year, according to an Atlanta Journal 14
Georgia is one of five states nationally that does not have a hate crime statute on the books. Fifteen other states have hate crime laws, but do not address sexual orientation or gender identity. Crimes motivated by an anti-transgender bias also increased to 111 incidents in 2016; up from 76 a year prior, according to an FBI report cited by the AJC. TRANScending Barriers, Georgia’s first trans-led and trans-issue based nonprofit, told the newspaper that a lack of protections mixed with family rejection often forces transgender people into ”risky situations” to survive, that ultimately contribute to violence. Find more coverage of this year’s Atlanta TDOR commemorations at theQatl.com.
Q
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Q SHOTS
MARY'S 19th ANNIVERSARY
By Russ Youngblood
Q
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Q SHOTS
DJ NEON THE GLOWGOBEAR at EAGLE
By Laura Baccus
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DJ GRIND at HERETIC
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By Russ Youngblood
Q SHOTS Q
35
Q
THEQ?! Cutting the
CORD
Living with your ex or your mom way past their expiration dates? Life Judge can help.
Q
My ex and I broke up a few months ago, and I’m still living in her house. I mean, it didn’t work out, but that’s no reason not to split the bills, am I right?
We’re both solid, reliable lesbian citizens, but to say there are no roommate issues would be a lie. Mostly we’ve both been pretty cool, but she still tries to mother me in ways that I couldn’t tolerate when we were together. It’s like I’m inconveniencing her when I spend the night out, or stay out on a work night. She says he’s looking out for me, but I’m pretty sure she’s just jealous. How can I stay cool with everything and still let her know she needs to move on?
Finally, you say she needs to move on. So do you. The good news is that you seem ready to hit the town without him. The bad news is that you can go out every night into your new life, and still come home to your old situation. Make plans and move.
‘I’m pretty sure she’s just jealous.’ Q
Dear Lazy Leslie: Sometimes it’s hard to see the forest for the trees, so let’s clear some of the psychological underbrush. Start with the emotional weeds. No matter how cool you try to be, and how good you are at it, coming back together as friends is always better after a clean break to reestablish your own path. Also, give the lady a break. What are the chances that she’s not as much jealous or in your business as she is worried? Imagine waking up wondering where someone is at dawn. No call, no text, just an empty house. Update her or tell her in advance not to expect you. It’s common courtesy whether you’re exes or not. 38
You should consider whether you’re taking advantage of the poor gal, because hey by the way, you totally are. You said it yourself: It’s her house. Just like your parents told you back in the day, her rules. And until you get out of there, it’s kind of her business.
I think my mom might be co-dependent. We’re best buds, and she loves hanging out with my gaggle of gays. Lately, I’ve been having visions of still living with her in 40 years with dozens of cats and no life except each other. Help! Dear Grey Gardens: There’s nothing wrong with being one of the thousands of gay men who have close relationships with their mothers. Try creating some distance and see if it suits you better. You can always go back and start a cat farm later. The Q is intended for entertainment purposes and not as professional counseling. Send your burning Qs to mike@qmagatlanta.com. Illustration by Brad Gibson