The Georgia Voice - 6/21/13 Vol.4, Issue 8

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06.21.13

IN THIS ISSUE OF GA VOICE

NEWS 4 | More than marriage: 5 issues our community must address now.

11 | Local efforts mark National HIV Testing Day. 14 | Viral video star Zach Wahls brings “My Two Moms” to Atlanta.

17 | News in brief: Gay politicians, gay bar owners, gay Boy Scouts and more.

VOICES 18 | EDITORIAL: Say ‘I do’ to more than marriage.

19 | OPINION: Sequester cuts could kill those with HIV.

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT 14 | ZACH WAHLS BRINGS 'MY TWO MOMS' TO ATL

25 | GAY FAVES HEAD TO TOWN

Photo via Facebook

OUTSPOKEN FRIENDS & FOES IN THEIR OWN WORDS

Official photo

“I’m writing to tell you, among other things, that I am super gay. This may or may not come as a surprise to you. If it does: Surprise! If it does not: You were right all along! Either way: Hooray!”

25 | Two weeks, four gay shows: The B-52s, Cyndi Lauper, Joan Rivers and the Village People.

26 | PHOTOS: East Point Possums take over.

27 | EVENTS: Stonewall Month highlights.

29 | THEATER: “5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche.”

31 | FOOD PORN: Woodfire Grill and that mysterious ex.

32 | BRIEFS: Tegan & Sara, Atlanta Silverbacks, Anderson Cooper and more.

34 | CALENDAR

COLUMNISTS 38 | THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID: Melissa Carter’s fool-proof dieting plan.

39 | DOMESTICALLY DISTURBED: Topher Payne remembers the old days.

—— Folk singer Jenny Owen Youngs, coming out in a post at the Tumblr site Everyone Is Gay (June 12) Official portrait

“I finally met my soul mate — the more I fall in love with Johnny, the more I fall in love with myself. This is what the universe had in store for both of us.”

— Former Olympic diver Greg Louganis, announcing his engagement to Johnny Chaillot (People.com, June 17)

“[Josh Duggar’s] new boss Tony Perkins has actually accused LGBT equality advocates of being pawns of the devil. Fans of his family’s reality show ought to know that.”

— GLAAD Spokesperson Wilson Cruz, commenting on news that Josh Duggar, the oldest son on TLC’s “19 Kids and Counting,” has been named executive director of FRC Action, the lobbying arm of the Family Research Council (GLAAD.org, June 17)

“Being a good parent — whether you’re gay or straight; a foster parent or a grandparent — isn’t easy. … To this day, I’m still figuring out how to be a better husband to my wife and father to my kids.”

— President Obama in his weekly radio address, including gay parents in his comments timed to coincide with Father’s Day. (White House, June 15)

More than marriage 4 | GA VOICE

NEWS

06.21.13

www.theGAVoice.com

Five LGBT issues we must continue to work for after the Supreme Court rules on our relationships

By Dyana Bagby dbagby@thegavoice.com Mary Anne Adams moved to Atlanta in 1988 and since that time she has seen Atlanta’s LGBT scene change dramatically.

“One of the biggest changes that I have seen is the degree and level of outness from LGBTQ communities, both internally and externally.

Despite the overt homophobia and ever-looming threats of violence, it’s been exhilarating to see young folks on MARTA and at public events showing their affection for each other and just being themselves,” she said.

A proliferation of queer campus groups and openly gay politicians serving in the state legislature are also signs of Georgia’s progress, said Adams, who works in the School of Public Health at Georgia State University and as an organizer with ZAMI NOBLA (National Organi-

zation of Lesbians Aging).

Adams, like everyone else, anxiously awaits the U.S. Supreme Court’s rulings on same-sex marriage. But like many others, she also knows however SCOTUS rules on California’s Proposition 8 and the federal Defense of Marriage Act — win, lose or draw — the nation’s fight for LGBT equality does not stop at the altar or in front of a judge.

The fight for equality for all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people must continue in our schools, our hospitals, our senior centers, our youth centers, among affordable housing officials and employers.

“Unquestionably, everyone in this country should have human rights, equal rights and be able to marry the person of their choice; but do we spend millions of dollars and push legislation on this single issue to the exclusion of fighting for employment, housing, immigration, and medical access, to name a few? Can we strike a balance?” she asked.

It’s a good question.

Taylor Alexander, 20, a founder of Queer Up Atlanta, said young LGBT people are mobilizing on their own rather than waiting for adults and other organizations to help them. (Photo by Dyana Bagby)

GA Voice asked several local LGBT activists about five issues besides same-sex marriage that are important for our community: the Employment Non-Discrimination Act; caring for our seniors and youth; HIV; dealing with the “isms” and “phobias” within our communities (such as racism, sexism, classism, ableism, transphobia); and why it is important to align ourselves with other disenfranchised people.

So when we gather at 10th and Piedmont for Atlanta’s “Day of Decision” rally, let’s not forget that marriage equality is only one battle in the larger fight for the liberation of all LGBT people.

1. ENDING EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act has lingered in Congress since 1994 and does not seem likely to pass soon. The proposed law would prohibit businesses with more than 15 employees from discriminating against workers because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

The national grassroots organization GetEqual put the issue back on the radar this month when a member heckled Michelle Obama during her speech at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser. The heckler shouted at Obama to tell the president to sign an executive order prohibiting federal contractors from discriminating against LGBT employees, an order he refused to sign more than a year ago.

Also, several GetEqual members were arrested when they camped outside Speaker of the House John Boehner’s offices June 13 demanding he put ENDA to a vote.

President Barack Obama supports

ENDA and mentioned it during the June 13 Pride reception at the White House. After the president’s comments, Senate Majority Leader Henry Reid (D-Nev.) signed on as an ENDA cosponsor. There are now 51 co-sponsors of ENDA in the Senate, not quite enough to defeat a Republican-led filibuster, which needs 60 votes.

Jeff Graham, executive director of Georgia Equality, the state’s largest LGBT advocacy organization, said the gridlock in Washington, D.C., means it will likely be easier to pass a state law similar to the federal ENDA and help Georgia LGBT state employees sooner rather than later.

The Georgia legislation, named the Fair Employment Practices Act, has been introduced by openly gay state Rep. Karla Drenner (D-Avondale Estates) for the last two legislative sessions. Hearings on the bill were held during both sessions, but it never made it to the floor for a vote. If passed, it would be the first positive statewide legislation that addresses sexual orientation and gender identity.

“Frankly, we have a better chance passing the state bill than the federal ENDA bill,” Graham said. “ENDA is an important bill that ensures workplace fairness, but Congress has proven there is so much gridlock and it can’t come together on much of anything. I’m not hopeful we’ll have federal ENDA anytime soon, so that’s why it’s important to continue to push at the state level.

“This is our greatest chance of victory even in conservative Georgia,” he said.

2. RENEWING THE FIGHT AGAINST HIV

Gay and bisexual men make up about 2 percent of the U.S. population, yet ac-

Please see ISSUES on Page 6

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NEWS

06.21.13

www.theGAVoice.com

HIV has to be ‘put back in the forefront’ ISSUES, continued from Page 6 count for 63 percent of all new HIV infections with the largest group becoming infected being those ages 25 to 34, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.

Among African-American gay and bisexual men, the numbers are even more troubling.

Of that 63 percent of new infections, black gay and bisexual men account for 36 percent, the CDC reports. From 2008 to 2010, new HIV infections among black gay and bisexual men ages 13 to 24 increased 22 percent.

At the end of 2010, of the estimated 872,990 people living with HIV, half are gay and bisexual men, according to the CDC. Gay men face numerous prevention challenges, the CDC states. Receptive anal sex without using a condom is the sexual behavior where HIV is transmitted easiest. There is also homophobia, stigma and discrimination gay men may face, which can lead to poor decision making.

Not being tested and knowing one’s status, using drugs and alcohol, homelessness, poverty — all play a role in gay men contracting HIV at higher rates than anyone else in the nation.

While the South accounted for 46 percent of new HIV infections as of 2010, it only represents 37 percent of the U.S. population, according to the Southern HIV/AIDS Strategy Initiative.

HIV is striking down a new generation of gay and bisexual men, despite newer and better medications to help them live longer, healthier lives. The ongoing epidemic signifies a need for more education, more conversations, better funding from the states and federal government — and finding a way in which men who have sex with men are not stigmatized and discriminated against.

“Certainly HIV has to be something the LGBT community puts back in the forefront,” said Graham of Georgia Equality, a longtime HIV/AIDS activist. Georgia Equality helped found the Georgia AIDS Coalition.

“We know here in Georgia the No. 1 group of people living with HIV and contracting HIV are gay and bisexual men. The data is not as solid, but transgender people are overwhelmingly disproportionally impacted,” he added.

“In Southern states, we have way too many people who die of AIDS,” Graham said.

Reasons include not identifying HIV-positive people early enough to get them into treatment and gaps in services.

Outside of metro Atlanta, there is spotty care for people with HIV. Some people wait weeks and even months for appointments.

There are also waiting lists in Atlanta, Graham said.

“Because we are so overwhelmed, people are falling out of care — and this leads to new HIV infections and AIDS,” he said.

‘We’re past the point where we need to reinvent LGBT specific services,’ says Linda Ellis, executive director of The Health Initiative. (Photo by Dyana Bagby)

3. CARING FOR OUR SENIORS AND YOUTH

Linda Ellis serves as executive director of The Health Initiative, which provides health care resources to LGBT people as well as manages SAGE, an organization for LGBT seniors.

There is now an entire generation of LGBT seniors facing challenges when it comes to accessing basic services and care, Ellis said.

Last year, a groundbreaking Gallup poll showed 3.4 percent of U.S. adults identify as LGBT, with younger people more readily identifying as being openly gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. The poll showed many lesbians were raising children and that the myth of gay people being rich is largely untrue.

The Health Initiative now has a relationship with the Atlanta Regional Commission and its 25,000 services providers, giving the LGBT organization a direct line to these providers to educate them on the special needs of LGBT seniors as well as those needing basic health care.

“We’re past the point where we need to reinvent LGBT specific services and, in my opinion, create an LGBT health center. We just have to make sure the mainstream centers are ready for us. The same is true for seniors and youth services,” Ellis said.

Affordable housing is also a key concern for older LGBT people. Brad Ploeger is vice president of the board of Lutheran Towers on Juniper Street, one of the more popular lowincome senior housing sites that receives federal Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) financing.

“There are great senior housing options for those who have money. But our average resident lives on $15,000 a year,” Ploeger said.

Anyone applying for HUD housing cannot be discriminated against because of their sexual orientation or gender identity thanks to the Obama administration’s 2012 equal access housing rule. But the Towers, located in the gayborhood of Midtown, has been accepting LGBT residents for years.

That is why The Health Initiative is conducting outreach to health care and senior service providers in other counties as much as it can, speaking to groups who want to help LGBT people and understand their special needs.

“I think our job more and more these days is helping mainstream folks where local lowcost clinics and similar services are provided understand our needs,” Ellis said.

When it comes to youth, Atlanta seems less organized in offering safe spaces for them to go. YouthPride, once a shiny gem serving LGBT

young people, has been mired in controversy in recent years. However, it still operates a facility in the West End and seems to hold regular discussion groups.

JustUs ATL, created by former YouthPride members, is making its presence well-known in the community and holds discussion groups for young people every week at borrowed space at Positive Impact, an HIV/AIDS organization in Midtown. JustUs ATL is currently seeking to secure its own space.

AID Atlanta’s Evolution Project has its own center located on Juniper Street where young black gay and bisexual men can meet for social activities as well as discussion groups, book readings and movie screenings. LostN-Found Youth helps homeless LGBT young people find jobs or get back in school and puts them on a road to permanent housing.

A new grassroots organization, QueerUp Atlanta, is a group of youth who want to ensure politics remains at the forefront of young people’s minds as they become active in their communities.

Taylor Alexander, 20, of Griffin, Ga., moved to Atlanta two years ago to attend Georgia

Please see ISSUES on Page 8

8 | GA VOICE

NEWS

06.21.13

Decision Day

‘All our struggles are interconnected’ ISSUES, continued from Page 4 State University. As one of the founders of Queer Up Atlanta, Alexander is impressed with the resources and spaces for queer people now available, especially on college campuses.

Alexander first came out as bisexual at 13, then as gay at 18. Last year, Alexander started identifying more under the “trans spectrum.”

Young people are starting to mobilize for themselves rather than waiting for the adults to lead the way, Alexander said, pointing to JustUs ATL, a completely youth-led organization, as an example.

4. ERASING ‘ISMS’ WITHIN OUR OWN COMMUNITIES

When it comes to racism, sexism or transphobia, LGBT people are just as guilty as our heterosexual counterparts. But why? If we are discriminated against because of who we are, why do we continue to discriminate against others for being who they are?

Paulina Helm-Hernandez works as co-director of Southerners on New Ground, which helps empower LGBT people, especially people of color, living in rural areas on such issues as workers rights and immigration. SONG is working on a new campaign playing off the SCOTUS marriage equality rulings about how we can “marry the movement.”

Marriage equality is “a kind of culmination, if you will, of the LGBT movement. It is a really important and symbolic issue,” said Helm-Hernandez, a Mexican immigrant.

When North Carolina voters approved a same-sex marriage ban last year, there was a backlash against people of color by both progressives and those opposed to the LGBT movement, she said. But LGBT people cannot blame others for our losses, she said.

People who are opposed to anti-immigration legislation, violence, racial profiling as

“Audre Lorde once said, ‘There is no such thing as a single issue struggle because we don’t live single issue lives.’”

well as LGBT issues gravitate to SONG and its work. And SONG works to help people understand that we are all interconnected in our struggles, she said.

A transgender woman who cannot get a job deserves as much attention as a white man who wants to marry his partner. The better we understand that, the stronger we become as an alliance for full equality, she said.

Cheryl Courtney-Evans, a transgender activist, said she wishes there weren’t so many letters in the label for our community — LGBTQIIA, for example, is too many letters and leads to a kind of segregation itself.

As a black trans woman, Courtney-Evans has lived through racism and transphobia from people she thought were her allies.

“As a trans person and person of color, it’s like a double whammy,” she said. “We are in many ways doubly discriminated against.”

This week, Courtney-Evans traveled to Washington, D.C., as part of the National Center for Transgender Equality to lobby for the passage of ENDA, an issue she is passionate about. Trans people continue to be the most discriminated against in the workforce.

But the transphobia existing within the LGB community — as well as larger society — must be constantly addressed and must stop, she said.

“The only way I see people getting beyond or correcting transphobia is a greater interaction between LGB and the trans community and for LGB people to get to know trans people,” she said.

“Many don’t know more about trans people than what they see on the street or on stage and make no attempt to go any further, so they don’t know the day-to-day existence of transgender people,” she said.

People who travel in the same gay circles and go to the same gay clubs without venturing outside their comfort zones will not learn of the experiences and struggles of those who are not as fortunate as they are, she explained.

“You expect heterosexual people to respect your life [as a gay person], to respect your same-gender loving relationships and right to marry, then be open enough to respect how someone identifies even if it is different than you. Let’s all be mutually respectful,” she said.

Alexander of GSU, who is black and Native American, said he believes for a majority of people, “There’s a certain level of dissatisfaction of inclusion in Atlanta.”

“It’s hard to find a person of color in queerminded publications. We are in the hub of the civil rights movement, but there is always that racial tension, especially in the [LGBT] community. All our own struggles are interconnected,” he said.

www.theGAVoice.com

The Supreme Court will issue decisions by the end of June in two key gay marriage cases — challenges to California’s Proposition 8 and the federal Defense of Marriage Act. Whether the decisions are wins, losses or somewhere in between, “Day of Decision” rallies are scheduled around the country, including here in Georgia.

Atlanta: Activists will gather beginning at about 5 p.m. at the corner of 10th Street and Piedmont Avenue in Midtown.

Athens: LGBT rights supporters will gather at 6 p.m. at Our Hope Metropolitan Community Church, 980 S. Lumpkin St., Athens, GA 30605.

Savannah: The community will gather at 5 p.m. at Wright Square, in front of the Federal Courthouse

Paulina Helm-Hernandez, co-director of Southerners on New Ground, says it is important to understand we all share many of the same struggles for equality. (Photo by Bo Shell)

5. ALIGNING OURSELVES WITH OTHER GROUPS

Mary Anne Adams quotes the late Audre Lorde, the inspiration behind ZAMI NOBLA, when she discusses the reasons why LGBT people must team up with others to defeat discrimination.

“The late Audre Lorde, who described herself as a black-lesbian feminist mother lover poet, once said, ‘There is no such thing as a single issue struggle because we don’t live single issue lives.’ I think this speaks volumes regarding the marriage equality issue in the context of all the systematic violence and discrimination that negatively impacts our communities,” Adams said.

Adams serves as an example of how she believes all of us should lead our lives. She has made a conscious decision to live and do work in multiple communities: aging, environmental justice, cancer and HIV/AIDS. “All of these issues impact queer people, all of these issues impact me,” she said.

Adams said it’s important that queer people are gathering in Atlanta and across the country for “Day of Decision” rallies when SCOTUS hands down its rulings on Prop 8 and DOMA. But there are other important rulings to come

Statewide: Georgia Equality and Lambda Legal will host a discussion July 2 on how the rulings impact Georgia; time has not been announced, but you can participate online or in person in Atlanta.

For immediate coverage the day the Supreme Court gay marriage decisions are announced:

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“The court is expected to issue a ruling in Fisher v. University of Texas, challenging the school’s Affirmative Action Policy, and Shelby County v. Holder, challenging Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. Shouldn’t we also gather to offer support for these rulings, and to stand in solidarity with these groups?” she asked.

“If we are to conduct our work using a social justice framework, we have to seriously align ourselves with progressive groups, marginalized communities, people of color, women/ youth organizations, and stand up and show up for them, as we expect them to support us,” she added.

“We are all in this together as collaborators and partners.”

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NEWS

www.theGAVoice.com

Know your status

Numerous local organizations offer free services for National HIV Testing Day

Saturday, June 22

Film: ‘Why Us? Left Behind & Dying’ 3 p.m. at Auburn Avenue Research Library 101 Auburn Ave., Atlanta, GA 30303 http://on.fb.me/11wVl7d Presented in collaboration with Cycle for Freedom Inc.

Sunday, June 23

Monday, June 24

Marietta Flea Market 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

550 Franklin Road SE, Marietta, GA 30067 Presented by Someone Cares

Positive Impact 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

60 Eleventh St. NE, Atlanta, GA 30309 www.positiveimpact-atl.org

Free testing sites:

Ric Crawford Clinic (AID Gwinnett) 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

3075 Breckinridge Blvd. # 415, Duluth, GA 30096 www.rcclinic.org

AID Atlanta clinic 11 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.

1605 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta, GA 30309 www.aidatlanta.org

As a sexually active gay man, Edric Figueroa gets tested for HIV every three months. As the Gay Outreach Program coordinator for AID Atlanta, he’s working with others to get as many people tested as possible.

Last year, AID Atlanta tested nearly 7,000 people for HIV. This year for National HIV Testing Day on June 27, Figueroa and others will be out at various locations throughout Atlanta offering free HIV tests. Being visible is part of educating people about knowing their status, Figueroa said.

AID Atlanta will be at Underground Atlanta from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on National HIV Testing Day. “For a lot of people this is a chance to get tested where they work, in downtown. This is taking down another barrier to testing,” he explained.

This Sunday, June 24, AID Atlanta will set up at Piedmont Park to offer free HIV testing from 4:30 to 7 p.m.

“We know this is where the gay community frequents and again it’s about going to where people are [to offer HIV testing],” he said.

With gay and bisexual men as the only demographic that continues to see HIV infections rise each year, it is important to go to where

19 YEARS OF NATIONAL HIV TESTING DAYS National HIV Testing Day was organized each year by the National Association of People

Phase One night club Midnight to 3 a.m.

4933 Memorial Drive, Decatur, GA 30032 Presented by Someone Cares

Thursday, June 27

National HIV Testing Day www.hivtest.org www.cdc.gov/actagainstaids

they work and play. Even if they don’t get tested, they will see people receiving HIV tests and perhaps begin to think about being tested themselves, Figueroa said.

“The community may be getting tired of hearing about HIV, but the fact is a lot of people are still getting infected,” he said. “The Southeast is the only area in the country where HIV rates are going up and gay and bisexual men are the most affected.”

The CDC estimates that more than 1 million people in the U.S. have HIV but one in five do not know they have it.

Currently, AID Atlanta is seeking recruiters to talk with their sex partners, their drinking buddies, people they do drugs with and others to talk about the need for HIV testing. Talking about HIV is one of the ways to destroy stigma surrounding the disease that often prevents people from getting tested.

The truth is, there is absolutely no reason for people, especially gay and bisexual men, to not get tested when there are so many free testing available in Atlanta, Figueroa said.

“There is no bad news when you get tested.

When you learn your results you know how to protect yourself and your community,” he explained.

Cobb/Douglas Public Health 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

1650 County Services Pkwy Marietta, GA 30008 Presented by Someone Cares with 100 Black Women of Atlanta Hurt Park Noon to 6 p.m.

100 Edgewood Ave. NE Atlanta, GA 30303 www.empoweryoungwomen.org Presented by Empowerment Resource Center

Someone Cares Inc. Community Health Fair Noon to 4 p.m. at Lavista Crossing Apartments 3797 Lavista Road, Tucker, GA 30064 www.someonecaresatl.org With Travelers Aid, Hope Atlanta and Kennesaw State University Nursing Department

By DYANA BAGBY dbagby@thegavoice.com

GA VOICE | 11

NATIONAL HIV TESTING DAY EVENTS

HIV Testing at Piedmont Park 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Presented by AID Atlanta

Edric Figuero (far right) of AID Atlanta and his team were raising awareness about HIV at the recent East Point Possums event. (Photo by Dyana Bagby)

06.21.13

AID Atlanta Evolution Project Beginning at 3 p.m.

583 Juniper St. Ste 1 Atlanta, Georgia 30308 www.evolutionatl.org

Standing to Achieve New Direction (STAND) 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

3423 Covington Drive, Suite E, Decatur, GA 30032 www.standinc.com Underground Atlanta 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

50 Central Ave. SW, Atlanta, GA 30303 Presented by AID Atlanta

AIDS Research Consortium of Atlanta (ARCA) 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

131 Ponce de Leon Ave. NE, Suite 130 Atlanta, GA 30308 www.arcatlanta.org

Walgreens in Augusta 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

3204 Peach Orchard Road, Augusta, GA 30906 www.csrasafetynet.org Presented by Georgia Regents University’s Ryan White Program

Club Argos in Augusta 9 p.m. to midnight 1923 Walton Way, Augusta, GA 30904 www.csrasafetynet.org Presented by Georgia Regents University’s Ryan White Program

Friday, June 28

with AIDS and is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and AIDS.gov.

The first National HIV Testing Day was recognized June 27, 2005, as a way to bring awareness to testing and people knowing their status.

After 30 years, however, NAPWA no longer exists. The organization shut its doors on Feb. 14, 2013, and filed for bankruptcy.

In 2009, the CDC and the White House launched a campaign named “Act Against AIDS” to further expand HIV testing.

• Among all gay and bisexual men, white MSM accounted for 11,400 (or 38 percent) estimated new HIV infections in 2010. The largest number of new infections among white MSM (3,300, or 29 percent) occurred in those aged 25 to 34.

• Among all gay and bisexual men, black/ African American gay men accounted for 10,600 (36 percent) estimated new HIV infections in 2010. From 2008 to 2010, new HIV infections increased 22 percent among young (aged 13-24) gay men and 12 percent among gay and bisexual men overall — an increase largely due to a 20 percent increase among young black/African American gay men.

• Among all gay and bisexual men, Hispanic/Latino men who have sex with men accounted for 6,700 (22 percent) estimated new HIV infections in 2010. The largest number of new infections among Hispanic/Latino MSM (3,300, or 39 percent) occurred in those aged 25 to 34.

GAY, BI MEN SEVERELY IMPACTED BY HIV According to the CDC: • In 2010, the latest detailed numbers available, gay and bisexual men accounted for 63 percent of estimated new HIV infections in the United States and 78 percent of infections among all newly infected men. Compared with other transmission groups, men who have sex with men (MSM) accounted for the largest numbers of new HIV infections in 2010.

XS Ultra Lounge Midnight to 3 a.m.

708 Spring St., Atlanta, GA 30308 Presented by Someone Cares

™

June 27th is National HIV Testing Day.

I am a friend, a Latino, and a peer educator.

JosĂŠ (center) has lived with HIV since 2001.

I am a best friend, a poet and a cook.

Antron (right) has lived with HIV since 2004.

I am a writer, a social worker, and a friend.

I am a best friend, a blogger, and an advocate.

-

Craig (right) has lived with HIV since 1985.

Mark has lived with HIV since 1985.

More than one million people are living with HIV in the U.S.

Get the facts. Get tested. Get involved. www.cdc.gov/ActAgainstAIDS Follow us online at:

www.facebook.com/ActAgainstAIDS

@TalkHIV

™

El 27 de junio es el Día Nacional de la Prueba del VIH.

Soy un amigo, Latino y un educador comunitario.

José (en el centro) vive con el VIH desde 2001.

Tengo pareja, soy editor y me gusta correr.

Oriol (izquierda) vive con el VIH desde 1992.

Somos pareja, defensores y amigos.

Soy un amigo, un estudiante, y un hijo.

-

Anselmo (izquierda) y José (derecha) han vivido con el VIH desde 1995.

Saloman (derecha) vive con el VIH desde 2006.

Más de un millón de personas viven con el VIH en los Estados Unidos.

Infórmese. Hágase la prueba. Participe. www.cdc.gov/ActAgainstAIDS Follow us online at:

www.facebook.com/ActAgainstAIDS

@TalkHIV

Family values 14 | GA VOICE

NEWS

06.21.13

In January 2011, then 19-year old Zach Wahls spoke before the Iowa House Judiciary Committee ahead of a vote that would have repealed same-sex marriage in the state. A video of his speech was uploaded to YouTube that evening, and in the hours and days that followed, Wahls found himself thrust into the national gay rights debate.

Wahls has since worked on gay acceptance in the Boy Scouts of America and has toured the country, speaking to students in colleges and high schools. He’s also written a New York Times bestseller, “My Two Moms,” which brings him to Atlanta for a June 27 reading at the Friends School, sponsored by Charis Books & More and Atlanta Pride.

GA Voice spoke with Wahls about growing up with two moms, his goals and aspirations for the future, and why it’s important to put the toilet seat down.

GA Voice: My mom came out of the closet while I was in high school. Even then, some 15 years ago, the gay rights movement was on its heels after years of political defeats, and being the child of a lesbian mom in the rural South was subject of rumor and taunts.

What was your childhood experience like and how did it shape your view of family?

Growing up in the semi-rural upper Midwest is certainly a different experience than growing up in either the deep South or either of the coasts. There’s a pretty strong “live and let live” mentality in our part of the country.

I think part of it has to do with our incredibly harsh winters and the agrarian roots from which we were all grown. If you get stranded in the middle of a blizzard, it doesn’t matter if the guy who pulls your tractor out of the ditch is a openly gay man or a devout conservative priest.

When that kind of interdependence is deeply instilled into your character, I think it’s hard for most folks to get too upset, even when they disagree. That’s a long way of saying that while there were certainly some other people and other families that disapproved of my parents and their “lifestyle choice,” it was never a huge deal in my day-to-day life.

There were kids who picked on me when I was in school, but difference is nearly always dangerous and it comes in all kinds of stripes and shades. And from that understanding, I think, I learned that family is what you believe in.

It isn’t just a straight, legally married WASP couple with two and a half kids, a dog and a white picket fence. A family is a group of people who love each other.

Your address at a hearing of the Iowa House Judiciary Committee back in January 2011

Iowan thrust into national spotlight after viral video brings ‘My Two Moms’ memoir to Atlanta

By RYAN WATKINS | rwatkins@thegavoice.com

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minutes from where I was born, there was a folded piece of paper on the lectern.

I unfolded it as I began to speak, and trailed off from my remarks as I read it. There was just one word: “Hope.” Powerful stuff.

You’ve also been an advocate for gay-inclusion in the Boy Scouts of America. Many in the LGBT community feel the recent rule change in allowing openly gay scouts but not gay leaders is a hollow victory because parents like Jennifer Tyrrell — the Ohio lesbian mom who was booted from the group over her sexual orientation in 2012 — are still banned from participating. What do you think, and what is next on this issue?

Last year — almost exactly a year ago, actually — I founded Scouts for Equality, an alumni association of Boy Scouts dedicated to ending the Boy Scouts of America’s ban on gay youth and parents. We now represent more than 7,000 Eagle Scouts who are committed to ending this policy.

We absolutely agree that there’s more work to be done. As the son of a gay couple, I was deeply torn when the BSA announced that they’d only be voting on this half measure. It’s unequivocally a step in the right direction, however, and indicates, to us, that the BSA is open to having another conversation on this issue.

We’re confident that we’ll see a full end to the policy within the next 18 to 24 months.

In ‘My Two Moms,’ Zach Wahls recounts growing up in a lesbian family and his evolution from Eagle Scout to LGBT rights activist. (Courtesy photo)

propelled you into the national gay rights debate. Did you have any idea at the time that your speech could become a hallmark moment in the equality movement?

Not at all. I had no idea that I was even being recorded, let alone that it would be uploaded to YouTube.

What’s been the best moment following the video of your speech going viral? Your appearances on “The Daily Show” and “Ellen” must have been a lot of fun.

Depends on how you define “best,” I suppose. “The Daily Show” was absolutely coolest.

I grew up watching Jon Stewart break down

the news as he lampooned politicians and hypocrisy, trying to help America find humor during the Bush II years. To actually meet him in person and to be on his show was a dream come true. The fact that he had actually read and enjoyed the book was icing on the cake.

The 2012 Democratic National Convention is definitely a close second. But the most deeply personal moments have been the ones I’ve found as I’ve gone across the country speaking at high schools and college campuses.

There are too many to recount here, but one evening earlier this spring, as I stepped up to give a talk in rural Wisconsin not even 30

Not every child of a lesbian mom works for an LGBT newspaper or has the opportunity to address their elected representatives on issues like marriage. What everyday things can straight allies and children of gay and lesbian parents do to ensure continued progress in the equality movement?

Frankly, those kinds of opportunities (working for an LGBT newspaper or speaking before elected officials) are a lot more common than some people might think. It’s just important to keep an eye out for them and to seize those opportunities when they do become visible.

From a day-to-day perspective, though, I

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Zach Wahls made national headlines when this video of his January 2011 speech to the Iowa House Judiciary Committee went viral. Versions of the video have been viewed more than 20 million times. (Screen capture)

think the best thing anyone can do is simply to live your life and to live it well. Be the argument you want to make.

We are, unfortunately, going to be held to a higher standard, but in so doing — and because of the work that people are putting in today and the work put in by the giants on whose shoulders we now stand — we secure the future for those coming after us.

Do you think that straight children of LGBT parents are part of the LGBT community? Is the LGBT community doing enough to embrace and make space for these kids as they grow up?

Absolutely. I know that the last thing any of us want to do is add another letter to the acronym, but especially for those of us who grew up in not the most traditionally liberal places, the alienation and stigma that we face is nearly identical to that faced by those who identify as LGBT. In my mind, there are strong parallels to race perceptions like the “one-drop rule,” by which if “one drop” of your makeup is nonwhite, then the whole of your identity is nonwhite. The same is true of “queerness,” as it were. If a single part of your identity (including your parents) is queer or non-straight, then the entirety of your identity is non-straight.

There are lots of different opinions on this, and I’m sure that mine isn’t necessarily the correct one, but if nothing else, speaking as a heterosexual, cisgender male, I know exactly how it feels to be in the closet.

What was the most positive thing about growing up with two moms? What was something negative that you experienced?

Positive: I learned how to put the seat down. Negative: Twice as many sets of eyes to

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Zach Wahls reading ‘My Two Moms’ June 27, 7 p.m.

Friends School of Atlanta 862 Columbia Drive Decatur, GA 30030

watch out for me eating junk food or playing computer games.

How has your book, “My Two Moms,” been received? What can people expect from your Atlanta reading?

It’s been received quite well! It was a national bestseller when the hardcover was released. And I’m expecting a positive reception from the folks in Atlanta. It’s obviously a very metropolitan city, and the South actually has the fastest growing population of families with an LGBTQ parent or parents.

What’s next for you personally? Are you still studying engineering at the University of Iowa? I bet you’d make a great politician.

I am still studying engineering, though I’m planning on graduating with a BA in Sustainability Studies before receiving my BS in Civil/ Environmental Engineering. And I am not sure what happens after graduation. I’m open to suggestions!

Some folks are definitely interested in seeing me run for office. The question for me, about that, would be whether or not I’m able to actually make the kind of impact I’d want to make.

I’ve already enjoyed some pretty positive experiences in the non-profit advocacy world and in running a for-profit business. There are all kinds of incredible things to do in the world, so I’m going to hold off on pigeonholing myself just yet.

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GA VOICE | 17

Gay politicians, gay bar owners, gay Boy Scouts and more SEX SHOP OWNER PULLS OUT OF ATLANTA CITY COUNCIL RUN

surrounding the thoroughfare, however, complained of blight they believe the sex clubs and porn stores bring to the area, which they think impedes greater development of the area.

Michael Morrison, owner of Inserection on Cheshire Bridge Road as well as several porn stores, said June 17 he will not run against Alex GAY-OWNED BAR IN EAST ATLANTA Wan for Atlanta City Council.

Two weeks ago, Morrison said he was CITED FOR SERVING AFTER HOURS thinking of running against Alex Wan for the When the manager of a bar crosses the District 6 seat after Wan, who is the council’s street to unwittingly ask a table of city of Atonly openly gay member, pushed for legisla- lanta employees, including an off-duty cop, to tion that would have ousted adult businesses come over to his bar and enjoy all-you-canon Cheshire Bridge Road by 2018. drink beer for $10 after the official bar closing “I don’t think that I will be running for City time of 3 a.m., he probably has only himself Council. While I don’t like what Alex Wan did (and maybe his boss) to thank for being raided. with Cheshire Bridge, I hope he understands At about 4:30 a.m. June 9, the East Atlanta now that adult/LGBT entertainment is impor- bar named Asylum, owned by Brian Michael tant for the development of any city,” Morri- Sawyer, was investigated by the Atlanta Police son told GA Voice.

Department.

Morrison added he was in talks with AtlanThe only person charged on June 9 was ta gay nightlife promoter Chris Coleman about Asylum’s manager, Couri Antonio Williams, creating an “LGBT voting bloc.” with selling liquor after hours. The APD police “The LGBT community really report states 83 patrons exited the needs to vote as one body to create club after Williams shut down the real power for itself. I think that is club.

READ a message that we all need to get Williams was arrested and the behind,” he said.

MORE ON bar was cited for operating outMorrison has also said he and side allowed hours of operation, other business owners talked selling alcohol without a license, about backing a candidate to run storing alcohol without a license, against Wan if one stepped forhours of operations. ward. However, Morrison said Sawyer opened Asylum in July Wan is expected to meet soon with 2012 in the location of the former the Cheshire Bridge Business AsEcho Club and first held drag sociation and they want to hear what he has shows at the club. But since its opening, Sawto say. yer changed the club’s focus and has run afoul Wan’s proposed legislation, which failed to of liquor licenses and other business dealings be approved by the full City Council on June 3, in the neighborhood. would have repealed the grandfather clause that allowed adult businesses to stay open SOUTHERN BAPTISTS APPROVE along the popular thoroughfare, dubbed by RESOLUTION AGAINST many as Atlanta’s red-light district.

Several business owners and developers ACCEPTING GAY BOY SCOUTS spoke out against Wan’s legislation, arguing The Southern Baptist Convention voted the proposed rezoning basically was a prop- June 12 to approve a resolution showing its erty rights issue and they promised to take the dismay with the recent decision by the Boy city to court.

Scouts of America to allow openly gay youth Some people living in the neighborhood members.

Inserection owner Michael Morrison said he would spend $150,000 to run against gay Atlanta City Councilmember Alex Wan, but now says he doesn’t plan to enter the District 6 race. (Photo by Dyana Bagby)

BSA’s “executive and board leadership.”

PRESIDENT OBAMA DELIVERS ANNUAL LGBT PRIDE MONTH SPEECH

THEGA

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President Barack Obama said the country is reaching a ‘turning point’ on LGBT equality. (Official photo)

The BSA decided in May to begin allowing gay youth as of Jan. 1, 2014. Gay adults are still banned from the Boy Scouts.

Opening Scouting to gay youth “has the potential to complicate basic understandings of male friendships, needlessly politicize human sexuality, and heighten sexual tensions within the Boy Scouts,” the resolution states.

Southern Baptists “consistently have expressed their opposition to the normalization of homosexual behavior in American culture through more than a dozen resolutions over the past thirty years,” the resolution continues.

The resolution also calls for a change in the

President Barack Obama delivered his annual address at the White House LGBT Pride reception June 13.

The president recounted progress made since he first took office in 2009, including the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the White House policy of refusing to defend the Defense of Marriage Act in federal court challenges because it believes it unconstitutional, and his public support for marriage equality. “[F]rom Minnesota to Maryland, from the United States Senate to the NBA, it’s clear we’re reaching a turning point,” Obama said. “We’ve become not just more accepting; we’ve become more loving, as a country, and as a people.

Hearts and minds change with time. Laws do, too.

“Change like that isn’t something that starts here in Washington, but it’s something that has the power that Washington has a great deal of difficulty resisting over time,” he said.

Gay Atlantans who were among the invited guests for the reception included Atlanta City Councilmember Alex Wan; Jen Christensen, president of the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association; and her partner, Holly Crenshaw, who is director of communications for Emory University libraries.

U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) also attended.

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GA VOICES OUR OPINION EDITORIAL

Say ‘I do’ to more than marriage

Regardless of how the Supreme Court rules, we can’t be reduced to a single issue movement Editorial by LAURA DOUGLAS-BROWN lbrown@thegavoice.com Depending on when you pick up this issue of GA Voice, you may already know how the Supreme Court ruled on two historic gay marriage cases. But no matter what the court decides, much work remains in our fight for full equality.

To find out about the court rulings, which will be handed down after press time for this issue, visit us online at www.thegavoice. com or follow us on Facebook (facebook.com/ thegavoice) and Twitter (twitter.com/thegavoice).

Yet whatever the court rules — big victories, big losses, or something in between — we must remember that our movement is about more than marriage. As we chart our course for the next months and years, we need to take a hard look at the broad range of issues we face as LGBT people.

This week’s cover story by Deputy Editor Dyana Bagby does just that. Through interviews with a diverse group of local activists, we list five issues that our community needs to work on right now: ending anti-LGBT employment discrimination, renewing the fight against HIV, embracing our seniors and youth, acknowledging and erasing prejudices within our own community, and educating ourselves to be true allies to other disenfranchised people. And there are many more.

It’s true that these issues can be impacted by the marriage fight — some directly, and all indirectly through the respect that would come by having our love given the same legal rights as heterosexuals. Yet it is just as true that marriage rights alone won’t solve any of them.

Having our marriages legally recognized

could give same-sex couples who are discriminated against when their employers learn about their relationship the ability to use laws and policies banning bias based on marital status. But it won’t help single LGBT people or those who can’t prove such a direct connection.

As we chart our course for the next months and years, we need to take a hard look at the broad range of issues we face as LGBT people.

Being able to legally marry could give some people with HIV access to health insurance through their spouses’ employers. But it also won’t help single LGBT people, or erase the stigma faced by people with HIV or the myriad social and emotional factors that lead to new infections.

Marriage could help gay youth know that their relationships will be respected, and have a more direct impact on gay and lesbian seniors by allowing them to receive Social Security spousal benefits and avoid inheritance taxes that spouses don’t have to pay. But it will take more than a court decision and a marriage license to stop anti-gay bullying and the loneliness of coming out, or the difficulties of aging within a community that often seems obsessed with youth.

In addition to not solving all our problems,

a singular focus on marriage also feeds into our lack of attention to biases within our own community, as well as a lack of reciprocity when it comes to supporting our allies.

We cheer groups like the NAACP when they sign on to court briefs supporting our right to marry, but do we take the time to learn about the issues that top their agenda and figure out how we can help?

Many activists, both individuals and organizations, do a wonderful job of pursuing many strategies and angles in the complex fight for LGBT equality. But some of us have become so concerned about marriage rights that we forget that for some LGBT people, planning a wedding is not a priority — or, for some, is an unimaginable luxury.

If you are an LGBT person in a community, family or religious faith where you fear for your physical or emotional safety due to hate crimes and overt homophobia, you won’t feel safe accessing marriage rights even if they are legally available to you.

If you are poor or unable to find gainful employment based on transphobia or other reasons, getting married is unlikely to be the first thing on your mind.

And if you must deal with other issues such as sexism, racism and classism, the right to marry might rank very differently on your priority list than if you experience privilege in all of these other areas, and marriage is the only right you are aware that you are being denied.

To be certain, the fight for marriage equality has galvanized our community, and it is appropriate that it has become the litmus test for our allies.

Marriage is the ultimate validation our society gives to couples, so it makes sense that it has become the Holy Grail for a community where our difference, and the resulting discrimination we face, is defined by who we love.

Still, allowing our movement to be reduced to a single issue risks setting us back farther than any court decision ever could.

To reach full equality, we must say “I Do” to marriage, but also much, much more.

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OPINION

Your OPINION Budget cuts could kill people with HIV Medicaid expansion is Ga.’s best hope to mitigate sequestration

GA VOICE | 19

30 minutes can impact your next 30 years.

Our Advisors. Your Dreams. MORE WITHIN REACH®

Call me today at (404) 913.9133 Allen Shpigel, ADPA®, AWMA®, CRPC®, CLTC Financial Advisor Accredited Domestic Partnership Advisor An Ameriprise Platinum Financial Services® practice

By Paul Plate We are all tired of hearing about sequestration. The focus on numbers allows us to forget that these budget cuts are a real life or death issue for people with HIV. They hurt people like M., an unemployed 45-year-old African-American mother of three, who learned that she had HIV when her exhusband admitted to her that he was infected before they divorced. She waited six months and experienced suicidal thoughts before seeking medical and mental health care. Her life now depends on federally funded services that may soon be in short supply.

The 5 percent budget cut resulting from the federal sequester process translates into more people infected with HIV, more people whose health will deteriorate from HIV to AIDS, and more who will die from AIDS. In Georgia, these cuts will reduce the number of people tested for HIV (13,475 fewer), increase the waiting list for life-saving medications (553 will be waiting), and reduce access to medical and mental health services that are critical for care and for preventing the spread of HIV. It reminds me of the really bad old days of the AIDS epidemic.

As a mental health provider who started working with people with HIV/AIDS more than 20 years ago, I remember those days. I saw people like T., a 26-year-old white gay man who avoided HIV testing until he became sick because he was more afraid of the results than of the consequences of ignorance.

We do not need to go back.

It has been more than 15 years since effective treatment for HIV became available, and over the last few years we learned that antiretroviral medications reduce a person’s likelihood of transmitting the virus by more than 90 percent.

This year, medical advances have opened the possibility of a cure for some. Mental health treatment for people with HIV is now recognized as an essential service with considerable effectiveness in increasing medication

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To save lives now, our best hope is to accept federal dollars that will expand Medicaid coverage in Georgia, but Gov. Nathan Deal rejected the funds. (File photo)

adherence and reducing new infections.

As a community, we know what to do, we just need the sustained resources to do the work — to prevent HIV and care for the 40,000 Georgians living with HIV. The sequester cuts are already here. There is nothing we can do to stop them. To save lives now, our best hope is to accept federal dollars that will expand Medicaid coverage in Georgia. The burden of HIV has never been shared equally. HIV disproportionally affects those with low income.

Medicaid expansion would provide essential coverage to 43 percent of these individuals residing in the 20-county Atlanta metro-area served by the Ryan White HIV care program.

They would have access to medication, healthcare and, most importantly for some, mental health services. But Governor Deal has said that he will reject the Medicaid expansion.

My hope is that he will reconsider, that the lessons I and my colleagues learned over 20 years of working with people with HIV will not have been in vain. We do not need to go back to the bad old days of HIV. May Georgia have the political will to act, as we say during the AIDS Walk, as though we believe that “every life deserves hope.”

Paul Plate, LPC, is executive director of Positive Impact, an agency providing mental health, addiction and prevention services for people affected by HIV. Positive Impact celebrates its 20th anniversary this week.

Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC. © 2012 Ameriprise Financial, Inc. All rights reserved.

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the musical “Kinky Boots.” She has a New York Times best-selling memoir (appropriately titled, “Cyndi Lauper: A Memoir”), and has a reality TV show on WEtv called “Still So Unusual.” Her most recent album is 2010’s “Memphis Blues.”

Fans will go crazy for… Marking 30 years since her debut album “She’s So Unusual” propelled her to stardom, Lauper will perform the entire album in order.

Get ready for “Money Changes Everything,” “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” “Time After Time,” “She Bop,” “All Through the Night,” and more.

The B-52s

THE VILLAGE PEOPLE

Four big shows in two weeks to get your gaydar going

by LAURA DOUGLAS-BROWN

JOAN RIVERS Saturday, June 29, 8 p.m.

Atlanta Symphony Hall www.atlantasymphony.org www.ticketmaster.com Gay factor: The “Queen of Comedy” is not gay, but when it comes to gay fans’ well-known tendency for diva worship, Joan Rivers arguably earns it.

She recently smooched a woman (telling the Today Show earlier this year that it was like the Katy Perry song, “I Kissed a Girl”), has officiated at a gay wedding, and joined an online campaign this year with celebrities posting photos of themselves holding signs advocating for an Israeli gay couple to be able to have a child through surrogacy.

Recent work: Along with touring, she hosts “Fashion Police” on Fridays on E!, sells her Classics Collection on QVC, and is infamous for her red-carpet commentary.

Her most recent book, “I Hate Everyone…

Starting with Me” came out in 2012. Her YouTube series, “In Bed With Joan,” features Rivers interviewing personalities, literally in her bed; she also appears in a WEtv reality series with her daughter, Melissa Rivers.

Fans will go crazy for… Expect plenty of uninhibited comedy in her show; gay fans will surely love celebrity snark, references to gay folks and her signature line, “Can we talk?”

CYNDI LAUPER Tuesday, July 2 Atlanta Symphony Hall www.atlantasymphony.org www.ticketmaster.com Gay factor: Cyndi’s not gay (when we asked her in 2010 if she had ever kissed a girl, she replied, “Yeah, I tried it. Just wasn’t for me.”), but she has a lesbian sister and you would be hard-pressed to find a more supportive celebrity ally.

Her second album, 1986’s “True Colors,” included the achingly beautiful title song, which was quickly embraced as an anthem of acceptance, as well as “Boy Blue,” dedicated to her friend who died of AIDS. In 2007 and 2008, she hosted the True Colors tour, which brought together a diverse group of LGBT and supportive musicians. In early 2010, the True Colors Residence — led by Lauper as honorary chair — broke ground on New York City’s first permanent supportive housing for young LGBT people ages 18-24.

She also launched the “Give a Damn” campaign to encourage straight people to care about LGBT rights.

Recent work: Not just a singer, Cyndi just won a Tony Award for Best Score for

Gay factor: Launched in 1977, the infamous disco party band is widely believed to be based on gay macho Greenwich Village stereotypes, and fans read plenty of innuendo and irony into songs like “YMCA,” “In the Navy” and “Macho Man.” But in 2012, members Felipe Rose (Native American) and David Hodo (construction worker) drew headlines when they told a documentary filmmaker “there was not one double entendre in the music.”

The band’s lineup has changed through the years, and several members have been gay. In addition to Rose and Hodo, the current Village People are Ray Simpson (cop & lead singer), Alexander Briley (G.I./Military), Jeff Olson (Cowboy) and Eric Anzalone (Biker).

Recent work: The Village People’s last album of new music was 1985’s “Sex Over the Phone,” but a full schedule of touring, television appearances, commercial cameos and more have kept their popularity high.

In 2008, they got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (next to Liberace!). In April 2013, they recorded a new song, “Let’s Go Back to the Dance Floor.”

Fans will go crazy for… “YMCA” (of course!), “Macho Man,” “In the Navy,” “Can’t Stop the Music,” and “Go West,” among others.

Publicity photo by Aaron Cobbet

Publicity photo via Facebook

Gay factor: Lead singer Fred Schneider and guitarist Keith Strickland are both gay, as was founding member Ricky Wilson (brother of B-52s member Cindy Wilson), who died of AIDS in 1995. Member Kate Pierson operates a funky Catskills resort with her life partner, Monica Coleman.

The B-52s headlined Atlanta Pride in 2000, driving what still may be the festival’s largest ever single-day attendance. The band, and Fred Schneider solo as a DJ, have performed for multiple gay and HIV causes.

Recent work: On top of plenty of live performances, the band released “The B-52s With The Wild Crowd! Live in Athens, GA” on CD & DVD in 2011 and released “Funplex,” their first new album in 16 years, in 2008.

Fans will go crazy for… “Love Shack” (remember RuPaul in the video?), “Roam,” “Rock Lobster,” “Private Idaho,” “Planet Claire,” and more.

Friday, July 12, 8 p.m.

Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre www.cobbenergycentre.org www.ticketmaster.com

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Friday, June 28, 8 p.m.

Atlanta Botanical Garden www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org

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OPINION

Picture perfect East Point Possums perform to benefit Lost-n-Found Youth The 16th annual East Point Possums Show in downtown East Point attracted more than 2,000 people June 15 and raised approximately $20,000 for this year’s beneficiary, LostN-Found Youth, an organization that helps homeless LGBT youth.

More than 25 performers and artists donated their time and tips to the cause. The Possums, led by “matriarch” Rick Westbrook (Shenitta Lott, aka Rapture Divine Cox), John Jeffrey (Prissy Cilla, aka Queen of Desserts) and Chesley Thurman (Dina Daintymouth, aka Double D), state they are “doing great work through bad drag.”

DJ Diablo Rojo provided the beats and highlights included numbers from the Atlanta Bucks Rugby team, Summer Knight, the East Point Villagers and the Possums themselves.

— Photos by Dyana Bagby

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ATL celebrates Stonewall Month Events, benefits continue through end of National LGBT Pride Month

Front Runners Pride Run 8 a.m. @ Piedmont Park Augusta Pride Parade 10 a.m., Festival 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Augusta Commons

Atlanta Pride Run A collaboration between Atlanta Pride and Front Runners, Atlanta’s LGBT runners group, the 5K Atlanta Pride Run is set for June 22. The race steps off at 8 a.m. from Piedmont Park.

The Pride Run features men’s and women’s divisions, as well as age groups and medals for winners. Each year the Pride Run scours the community and takes requests to find a beneficiary. Money raised from the 2013 Pride Run will benefit both Atlanta Pride and Lost-NFound Youth.

— Jim Farmer

SUNDAY, JUNE 23 & FRIDAY, JUNE 28

Pet Blessing & Pride Seder Atlanta’s LGBT-founded synagogue Congregation Bet Haverim hosts two events during Atlanta’s “Stonewall Month” celebrations.

The first, a pet blessing and picnic at Mason Mill Park, will be held June 23 at 11 a.m. All pets are invited.

Congregation Bet Haverim and the Atlanta Pride Committee will also host the now-annual

Photo by Laura Douglas Brown

Augusta Pride

SATURDAY, JUNE 22

STONEWALL EVENTS SATURDAY, JUNE 22

FRIDAY & SATURDAY • JUNE 21-22 Augusta Pride celebrates its fourth year by expanding to two days, June 21-22.

“Beats on Broad” debuts on Friday evening, June 21, as DJ Kaos from Club One, the popular gay nightclub in Savannah, spins from 6-11 p.m. in what organizers bill as “Augusta’s largest outdoor dance party.” Cover is $5, and some festival vendors will already be set up and open for business.

The next morning, Saturday, June 22, the Augusta Pride parade steps off at 10 a.m. to head down Broad Street to the Augusta Commons.

The annual procession of decorated golf carts, trucks, floats and marchers draws crowds of cheering fans and usually a handful of anti-gay protesters.

The parade ends at the Commons, where the Pride Festival continues until 7 p.m. Headlining entertainers include Thea Davis, Chad Michaels and Frenchie Davis, who is returning to Augusta after headlining the city’s first Pride festival in 2010. They will perform from 1-4 p.m., followed by local entertainers until 6 p.m.

The festival concludes with an after-party at Club Argos.

— Laura Douglas-Brown

GA VOICE | 27

Atlanta Freedom Bands “Our American Journey” concert 8 p.m. @ Saint Mark United Methodist Church MASH ATTACKS! Party 10 p.m. @ Atlanta Eagle for Atlanta Pride

SUNDAY, JUNE 23 Bet Haverim’s Pet Blessing and Picnic 11 a.m. @ Mason Mill Park

MONDAY, JUNE 24 Dine Out for Pride, 5 - 10 p.m.

Gilbert’s, HOBNOB, 10th & Piedmont

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26 Dine Out for Pride, 5 - 10 p.m.

Doc Chey’s Noodle House (Morningside)

Top: Augusta Pride’s parade kicks of at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 22. Left: This year’s Atlanta Pride Run benefits Lost-n-Found Youth. Right: Georgia Equality’s Evening for Equality takes place June 29 at the Twelve Hotel in Atlantic Station. (Photos by Dyana

Pride Seder on June 28 at 7 p.m. at Central Congregational Church in Decatur.

The theme of this year’s Seder is “Are We There Yet?” and will look at the current state of the LGBT civil rights movement.

— Jim Farmer

THURSDAY, JUNE 27 Zach Wahls reading and book signing 7 p.m. @ Friends School Sanctuary

SATURDAY, JUNE 29

Evening for Equality

The Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus presents “Singing Out Proud: From ABBA to Gaga,” with shows at 8 p.m. June 28 and 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.

June 29 at Emory’s Glenn Memorial Auditorium.

The event features the premiere of Andrew Lippa’s “I am Harvey Milk,” with Craig Waldrip as Harvey. The second part of the show features gay iconic pop music from the last 35 years.

After the concerts, the chorus will host a panel discussion on how to “live the legacy of Harvey Milk,” featuring Erik Milk, Harvey Milk’s great nephew, as well as AGMC founding Artistic Director Jeffrey McIntyre, openly gay State Rep. Karla Drenner, and Lynwood Scott Miller of Emory’s Hope Clinic.

Georgia Equality’s annual Evening for Equality caps off Atlanta’s Stonewall Month.

Scheduled this year for June 29 at 7 p.m. at Twelve Hotel in Atlantic Station, the event will honor members of the local community with three distinct awards.

The Philip Rush Community Builder Award goes to the Lloyd Russell Foundation, whose executive director is Pamm Burdett. The Champion for Equality Award will be presented to Dazon Dixon Diallo, the founder and executive director of SisterLove, which has provided services to women since 1989, including providing help to women with HIV/AIDS. The other award recipient will be Anthony Michael Kreis, who will receive the Allen Thornell Political Achievement Award. Kreis is a doctoral student at the University of Georgia specializing in sexual orientation, public policy, social change and the law, and is a volunteer lobbyist for Georgia Equality.

— Laura Douglas-Brown

— Jim Farmer

FRIDAY & SATURDAY • JUNE 28-29

Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus

FRIDAY, JUNE 28 Pride Seder 7 p.m. @ Central Congregational Church Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus Singing Out Proud: Living the Legacy 8 p.m. @ Glenn Memorial Auditorium Stonewall Party Time TBA @ 10th & Piedmont

SATURDAY, JUNE 29 Ninth Annual Evening for Equality 7 p.m. @ Twelve Hotel at Atlantic Station Presented by and benefitting Georgia Equality Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus Singing Out Proud: Living the Legacy 2 p.m. & 8 p.m. @ Glenn Memorial Auditorium

28 | GA VOICE 06.21.13

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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THEATER BY JIM FARMER

Real lesbians eat quiche Weird Sisters Theatre serves up quirky, delicious comedy The characters in the play “5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche” may like to gather over food but they are hesitant about referring to themselves as lesbians – at least initially.

“5 Lesbians,” opening July 3 courtesy of the Weird Sisters Theatre Project, is a comedy written – ironically – by two men, Evan Linder and Andrew Hobgood. It takes place in 1956 where five women have gathered for the annual Susan B. Anthony Society for the Sisters of Gertrude Stein meeting, where a highlight of the day is the crowning of the best quiche.

The women include Lulie Stanwyck (Tiffany Porter), the president of the society; Veronica “Vern” Schulz (Megan Rose), the buildings and ground chairman; Wren Robin (Jaclyn Hoffman), the society’s event chairwoman; and Ginny Cadbury (Annie York), the new girl in town, a transplant from the UK. There’s also Dale Prist, the society’s historian, played by a male in drag here, Bryan Lee. All single women, they call themselves “widows” – a thinly veined reference to lesbian — and aren’t out to anyone but those attending.

Their annual meeting is threatened on this day by Communists, McCarthyism, fear of an atomic bomb being dropped on their neighborhood and some of their secrets sneaking out. Though the women are all friends, some couples form as they deal with a bumpier day than they expected.

The founding members of Weird Sisters — including Kelly Criss, who directs the production — came together unexpectedly.

“We were all talking [a few years ago] and realized that none of us had any summer plans,” Criss recalls.

They decided to form a company with an emphasis on women: female-themed shows, female casts and as many behind the scenes women as possible. Last summer, the company staged a terrific production of “Anton in Show Business,” a witty romp that, not so coincidentally, looked at the lack of women in the arts.

Most of the Weird Sisters founding members are involved with “5 Lesbians.” Criss says the company was looking for something light and humorous to do first this summer, especially since their second play “Emilie: La Marquise Du Chatelet Defends Her Life Tonight” is on the heavier side.

‘5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche’ opens July 3 courtesy of Weird Sisters Theatre Project, founded by Jaclyn Hofmann, Kelly Criss, Tiffany Porter, Veronika Duerr and Megan Rose. (Courtesy photos/logo by Daryl Fazio)

DETAILS SHAKESPEARETAVERN.COM “5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche” July 3 – 15 Shakespeare Tavern 499 Peachtree St. Atlanta, GA 30308

“5 Lesbians” certainly fits the bill. The play caught her attention because of the title but she admits she laughed a lot when reading it.

Although set in 1956, she calls “5 Lesbians” very modern, with current references. There is a brief mention of marriage equality when the characters project four years into the future — to 1960 — and wax optimistic that they’ll be able to get married at that time.

“5 Lesbians” got its start in 2011 at the New Colony Theatre in Chicago as a sketch comedy skit and was featured as part of the FringeNYC Encore Series the next year.

It was important for Criss to have some non-traditional casting in the piece.

“To me, a large part of the Weird Sisters’ mission is to ensure everyone has a voice,” she says. “With this show, I wanted to challenge the audience’s preconceived notions of what a 1950s housewife really is or was. Perhaps it’s the stereotype, but it doesn’t seem logical to me that every single housewife in the mid 1950s all looked like June Cleaver or a girl-next-door version of Grace Kelly.

“By casting a male actor who’ll play Dale in full drag and an African-American actress to play Lulie, I hope audiences will quickly let their guard down and enjoy the ridiculousness of this fun story.”

On Stage “The Boy and the Pink Bear” Through June 23 at the Southwest Performing Arts Center www.brownpapertickets.com/event/380754 A five-year-old African-American boy’s prize toy, a pink bear, leads to family strife and questions of sexual orientation in this world premiere by Ted Johnson.

“The Book Club Play” Through June 23 at Horizon Theatre www.horizontheatre.com A closeted gay man is part of the ensemble in this comedy about six friends/colleagues whose book club proceedings become part of a documentary.

“The Velveteen Rabbit” Through July 27 at Serenbe Playhouse www.serenbeplayhouse.com Gay director Brian Clowdus helms a version of the classic children’s book.

“The Cat in the Hat” Through July 28 at the Center for Puppetry Arts www.puppet.org Gay actor Aaron Gotlieb portrays The Fish in this Dr. Seuss classic.

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GA VOICE | 29

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FOOD PORN BY CLIFF BOSTOCK

Where there’s smoke Woodfire Grill thrills, but ex-boyfriend chills Very little is as predictable in gay life as the sudden reappearance of a bitter ex- boyfriend at just the wrong moment. Robert, who referred to his former lovers as “a dynasty of dicks,” knew this. So, he wasn’t surprised when one of Lee’s exes, Gene, showed up a few nights earlier and spoiled their evening out.

But Robert couldn’t shake his discomfort.

Gene claimed that Lee had disappeared in the middle of the night while he slept, after a year of living together in Florida. Sitting alone, Robert looked around Woodfire Grill, wondering if his boyfriend would show up now, after inviting him to meet there.

The restaurant building, Robert noted, has changed little in two decades, still featuring the formerly fashionable feel of a chalet.

It became famous in the last few years because of former executive chef Kevin Gillespie, a wildly popular “Top Chef” finalist who recently opened his own restaurant, Gun Show.

The kitchen is now run by Tyler Williams, the former chef of Abattoir.

Lee appeared. He leaned over and kissed Robert on the cheek.

“I’m sorry to be late,” Lee said, looking at his watch.

“I was early,” Robert explained. “I’m glad you planned our meal right here in Cheshire Bridge’s best restaurant. I guess it will continue to sit in love’s playground.”

He was referring to the defeat of City Councilmember Alex Wan’s effort to zone the road’s sex shops and some clubs out of existence.

Wan is gay, a point whose relevance was continually questioned.

But the answer was obvious to many: Gay people were long oppressed for the nature of their sex lives and forced into relative invisibility. Should they do the same to others?

“There’s an effort to unseat Wan now,” Lee said. “But forget that. What about our love?” He took Robert’s hand. “It will survive too. I’m so sorry you had to meet Gene. I know it…” “…made me wonder if I shouldn’t be across the street at Inserection instead of here,” Robert interrupted. “Listen, I’m no fool. We’re both turning 50 and my past is no dumber than yours when it comes to men. I know you’re going on the road in a few months and we haven’t talked about what will happen then.

But how about giving me a kiss good-bye when that goes down?”

“Gene was my house boy and a representative of the BDSM community in my freak show,” Lee said. “I kept him in a cage at night and fed him out of a dog bowl. He quit the show and insisted on a bed. I split.”

“Oh, okay,” Robert said after a moment’s

WOODFIRE GRILL At Woodfire Grill, Chef Tyler Williams offers a menu of farm-to-table dishes, just kinky enough to suit the Cheshire Bridge location. (Publicity photo via Facebook)

DETAILS

RECOMMENDED DINING

Woodfire Grill 1782 Cheshire Bridge Road, 404-347-9055, www.woodfiregrill.com You’ll have one of the city’s best meals here, but be forewarned: carry a wad of cash. A tasting menu ($90 for seven courses, $70 for five) is probably the best choice to sample Chef Tyler Williams’ menu of farm-to-table dishes.

They are just kinky enough to suit the location.

Examples: an amuse bouche of a “scallop chicharron” with uni emulsion and bronze fennel; squash flowers stuffed with chorizo; black morels stuffed with Winnimere cheese; a crazy brandade made with salt cod and Anson Mill grits; pork belly carbonara featuring house-made pasta, Romano cheese, broccoli gremolata, kohlrabi and radish slices.

On and on.

Don’t miss Brian Stanger’s lunatic cocktails and a bottle from sommelier Patrick Guilfoil’s wine list.

pause. “That makes sense. I guess.”

Just then, their server Andrew brought their first course to the table. The two proceeded through seven courses that were indeed like teasing, foreplay, penetration, orgasm and exhausted, sweet recovery.

Afterward, they drove to Lee’s hotel room and hurriedly got into bed, but found themselves immobilized, unable to even roll over.

Instead, they chatted on their backs about the forthcoming celebration of their 50th birthdays and becoming a couple.

Food Porn is a fictional series by longtime Atlanta food critic Cliff Bostock. Set in real Atlanta restaurants, it chronicles the adventures of Robert, a gay man in search of a husband — or at least a good meal. Read the whole series online at www. theGAVoice.com.

06.21.13

GA VOICE | 31

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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A&E IN BRIEF Tegan & Sara, Anderson Cooper, gay soccer fans and more

LESBIAN TWINS TEGAN & SARA MAKE MUSIC MIDTOWN LINEUP

Music Midtown, the annual fall music fest, announced its performers last week, with lesbian twins Tegan & Sara in the lineup. The festival is set for Friday, Sept. 20, and Saturday, Sept. 21, with Tegan & Sara performing Saturday.

Allies are also on the agenda for the event, held in Piedmont Park. Indie rockers the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, who in May announced their support for marriage equality, also perform Sept. 21.

Tickets are $40 for Friday, $65 for Saturday, or $90 for both days if purchased before Aug. 1. Other performers include Jane’s Addiction, Cake, Drivin N Cryin, Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Black Lips and more. For the complete lineup, visit www.musicmidtown.com.

ATLANTA SILVERBACKS HOST JUNE 22 LGBT FAN NIGHT

The Atlanta Silverbacks, Atlanta’s professional team in the North American Soccer League, has announced its first-ever LGBT fan night as well as a new campaign to support Athlete Ally, an organization founded in 2011 to combat homophobia and transphobia in sport.

“As a global sport, soccer knows no boundaries,” Silverbacks General Manager Andy Smith said via a media release. “No matter your race, sex, religion, or sexuality, soccer is and always should be open to everyone.”

The Silverbacks’ “LGBT Pride Night” is scheduled for June 22 when the Tampa Bay Rowdies come to town.

“Soccer is a sport for everyone, and Athlete Ally does a great job of proving that,” former U.S. Men’s National Team player and Atlanta Silverbacks Technical Director Eric Wynalda added. “I’m all for supporting this cause, and I’m glad our organization is taking a stand.”

The Atlanta Braves also sponsored a LGBT fan night this month, on June 18, that benefitted the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation.

For more information on the Silverbacks or to purchase tickets, visit www.atlantasilverbacksfc.com. For information on Athlete Ally, visit www.athleteally.org.

TEGAN & SARA Photo by Lindsey Byrnes

GAY WRITER NAMED RUNNER-UP FOR GA. AUTHOR OF THE YEAR

Out of 20 nominees, gay Atlanta author Collin Kelley’s “Remain in Light” was named finalist (second place) for fiction in the 49th Georgia Author of the Year Awards — dubbed “GAYA,” appropriately enough. The awards were announced June 15.

“Remain in Light” is the second book in Kelley’s Venus trilogy, which began with “Conquering Venus.” Featuring gay characters, the series blends mystery, suspense and romance and was praised as a “wickedly fun read” by Lambda Literary Review.

JOINING HEARTS DRINKS UP TO GET READY FOR JULY POOL PARTY

Joining Hearts, the nonprofit famous in Atlanta for its namesake pool party at Piedmont Park, hosts a Beer Bust on June 29 to help fans gear up for the main event. DJ Pat Scott spins for the $10, all-you-can drink event, set

JOINING HEARTS POOL PARTY

Photo by Sher Pruitt

32 | GA VOICE 06.21.13

F

for 1-5 p.m. at Joe’s on Juniper.

Joining Hearts is dedicated to raising funds to help provide housing for people with HIV, tallying almost $1.6 million in donations to AID Atlanta and Jerusalem House over 25 years.

The organization’s biggest annual event, the Joining Hearts pool party, is set for July 20 from 4-11 p.m., featuring DJ Joe Gauthreaux and an opening set by DJ Luis Perez. Tickets ($95 for general admission; $175 VIP) are on sale now at www.joininghearts.org.

OUT CNN ANCHOR ANDERSON COOPER GETS COMIC BOOK BIO

Like your superheroes gay, smart and silver-haired? Then check out “Political Power: Anderson Cooper,” an illustrated biography of the gay CNN anchor released June 19 by Bluewater Productions.

“Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, the silver fox chose to follow his passion journalism with a vengeance,” authors said in a press release.

The quirky comic biography series has also featured RuPaul, Jon Stewart, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Laura Ingraham, Glenn Beck and other contemporary figures.

The Cooper bio retails for $3.99; it is available in print at Comic Flea Market and online on Wowio, ITunes, Kindle, Nook, Kobo and more. For more information, check out www. bluewaterprod.com.

Courtesy Bluewater Production

Photo by Sher Pruitt

SHOW YOUR ‘TRUE COLORS’ WITH CELEBRITY PRIDE SHIRTS

Just in time for National LGBT Pride Month, singer and ally Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors Fund has announced a line of t-shirts designed by gay and gay-friendly celebrities.

The limited edition effort includes shirts from Alan Cumming, Chelsea Handler, Jane Lynch and Lauper.

Slogans range from sweet (Lynch’s “We Are Family” shirt with a lesbian stick figure moms and daughter) to sexy (Handler’s “Love, Equality and Penetration for All.”) All proceeds from the $21.99 shirts benefit the “We Give a Damn” campaign thanks to

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT support from Van Gogh Vodka. Check them out at http://bit.ly/KdUDmr

WHO IS PERFORMING AT PRIDES AROUND THE NATION?

Atlanta Pride isn’t until October, and the fest hasn’t yet announced its 2013 entertainers. Curious about who headlined some of the nation’s biggest Pride festivals, most of which are held in June?

•Deborah Cox, who headlined Atlanta Pride in 2011, was scheduled to play June LGBT fests in New York City and Chicago.

• Here is a glimpse of some of the performers

who were scheduled to appear at Pride festivals this month: • New York City: Cher and Deborah Cox (Pier Dance) • San Francisco: Peaches & Herb, Kimberly Caldwell, Love Charisse, Xavier Toscano • Los Angeles: Uh Huh Her, Luciana, Ciara, Kerli, The Pointer Sisters • Seattle: Kristine W, God-Dess & She, Mary Lambert • Boston: Karmin, Kwanza Jones, Rachael Sage • Chicago: Aubrey O’Day, Deborah Cox, Ultra Nate, Inaya Day

06.21.13

GA VOICE | 33 Photo by Laura Douglas-Brown

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DEBORAH COX

34 | GA VOICE

06.21.13

Event spotlight

BEST BETS CALENDAR

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06.21.13-07.04.13

FRIDAY, JUNE 21

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two w ur online There are lusion in o c in r fo t n it your LGBT eve ars. Subm ice. d n le a c t n Vvo and pri ww.theGA or@ w to fo in t even to edit ail details -m e r o m co e.com. theGAVoic

The Oscar-nominated “5 Broken Cameras” is screened as part of the Third Friday Film Series at 7 p.m. at First Existentialist Congregation, www.firstexistentialist.org The Vision Community Black Tie Gala honors community leaders and politicians, 7 p.m. – 3 a.m. at the Georgian Terrace, http://blacktiegala2013.weebly.com

Special guest Shangela, who gained fame through “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” performs with the Fab Five, with a meet-and-greet after the show. 11 p.m. at Burkhart’s, www.burkharts.com

Explore New Feminist Noir with new author Steph Cha and her book “Follow Her Home,” 7:30 – 9 p.m. at Charis, www.charisbooksandmore.com Boy band extraordinaire One Direction performs at 7:30 p.m. at Philips Arena, www.philipsareana.com $2 Fridays, offering cheap well drinks, begin at LeBuzz, with a new dance party to boot at the Marietta gay bar. www.thenewlebuzz.com

Publicity photo

Slide around at Lube Wrestling at 11 p.m. at the Atlanta Eagle, www.atlantaeagle.com

SATURDAY, JUNE 22

Photo Project Q Atlanta

DJ Roland Belmares spins at 10 p.m. at Heretic Atlanta, www.hereticatlanta.com

SATURDAY, JUNE 22 The Atlanta Radical Faeries host their annual Midsummer Night’s Dream party, 2 p.m. – 2 a.m., the Arts Exchange, www.thearts-exchange.org

FRIDAY, JUNE 21SATURDAY, JUNE 22

Augusta Pride kicks off Friday night with Beats on Broad with DJ Kaos from Savannah’s Club One, then continues Saturday with the annual parade and festival in the Augusta Commons. www.prideaugusta.org

Publicity photo

FRIDAY, JUNE 21

SATURDAY, JUNE 22

Take to the streets for the annual Pride Run, starting at 8 a.m. at Piedmont Park, presented

by Front Runners, www.atlantapride.org The Atlanta Radical Faeries host their annual Midsummer Night’s Dream party, with workshops, a talent show, DJ Vicki Powell and more, 2 p.m. – 2 a.m., the Arts Exchange, www.thearts-exchange.org People’s Fest, featuring the launch of People’s Food Truck, as well as food tasting and musicians including Marc Broussard and Sonia Leigh, cranks up from 4 – 11 p.m. at Atlantic Station, www.facebook.com/peoplesfestatl Atlanta Rollergirls turn up the heat for a double bill of roller derby action, 5 p.m. at the Yaarab Shrine Center, www.atlantarollergirls. com The Atlanta Silverbacks, our city’s professional soccer team, hosts an LGBT night as they take on division rival Tampa Bay Rowdies, 7:30 p.m. at Atlanta Silverbacks Park, www. atlantasilverback.com

SOMETHING GAY EVERY DAY!

Bookmark www.thegavoice.com to get your daily dose of local LGBT events.

The gay Atlanta Freedom Bands present “Our American Journey” at 8 p.m. at Saint Mark United Methodist Church, www.atlantafreedombands.com Enjoy songwriters in the round with Dede Vogt, Caroline Aiken, and Trina and Tomi of Three5Human performing at 8 p.m. at Red Clay Theater, www.eddieowenpresents.com The “Now That’s What I call Drag, Volume 1” competition continues tonight at 9 p.m. at My Sister’s Room, www.mysistersroom.com DJ Scott Anthony spins at Jungle, www.jungleatl.com

The new dance party “Mixx” takes place at the new Kouture Lounge in Midtown, with free entry until 11:30 p.m., www.saturdaymixx.com The MASH ATTACKS! Party with DJs Pat Scott and Robin Skouteris starts at 10 p.m. at the Atlanta Eagle, www.atlantaeagle.com Play, Atlanta’s new Latino night, heats up at 10 p.m. Saturdays at Mixx, www.mixxatlanta.com Shavonna B. Brooks hosts Extravaganza at 11 p.m. Saturday nights at Burkhart’s, www.burkharts.com Frisky Monkey and friends perform at 8 p.m. at Kavarna. http://www.kavarnadecatur.com

CALENDAR

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SUNDAY, JUNE 23

Event spotlight

Congregation Bet Haverim hosts a Pet Blessing as part of Stonewall Month, 11 a.m. at Mason Mill Park, www.congregationbethaverim.org The inimitable Armorettes spice up Sunday night, 8 p.m. at Burkhart’s, www.burkharts.com

MONDAY, JUNE 24

Dine Out for Pride from 5-10 p.m. at Gilbert’s, HOBNOB and 10th & Piedmont to benefit the Atlanta Pride Committee, www.atlantapride.org Angelica D’Paige hosts Blue Monday Karaoke at 11:30 p.m. at Burkhart’s, www.burkharts.com

TUESDAY, JUNE 25

Fourth Tuesday, Atlanta’s lesbian social network, hosts its monthly dinner event from 6 – 10 p.m. at a TBD location, http://thehealthinitiative.org Ruby Redd hosts Ruby’s Tuesdays at 8 p.m. at Jungle Atlanta, www.jungleatl.com Tuesdays, unwind with a sing-along with pianist David Reeb at 8 p.m. at Mixx, www.mixxatlanta.com

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26

Ian Aber hosts a night of comics, both LGBT and LGBT-supportive, for the ABear Comedy Show, 8 p.m. at Jungle, www.jungleatl.com DJ Stan Jackson spins for the Pig Dance blackout party at the Heretic, www.hereticatlanta.com Phoenix and Nicole Paige Brooks host Dragamaniacs, an open mic drag talent show, at 10 p.m. at Jungle, www.jungleatl.com

THURSDAY, JUNE 27

SAGE Atlanta presents its weekly general meetings, with guest speakers, social activities and more, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m., Philip Rush Center, www.sageatl.org As part of National HIV Testing Day, Cycle for Freedom will screen the film “Why Us? Left Behind and Dying” at 3 p.m. at the Auburn Avenue Research Library, www.afpls.org

LGBT activist Zach Wahls, who has spoken out in support of his lesbians mothers, reads and signs “My Two Moms” at 7 p.m., presented

by Charis Books and More/Charis Circle, the Friends School of Atlanta, and Atlanta Pride Committee. www.friendsschoolatlanta.org Diane Durrett hosts “Singers Society” featuring Heather Luttrell and 1at 8 p.m. at Eddie’s Attic, www.eddiesattic.com Turnt Up Thursdays heat up at 11 p.m. at Traxx Atlanta, www.traxxatlanta.com

FRIDAY, JUNE 28

One of the final Stonewall Month events is the Stonewall Party from 5 – 8 p.m. at 10th and Piedmont, presented by Communitas Hospitality, benefitting Atlanta Pride Committee, Inc. www.atlantapride.org The Atlanta Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce’s Fourth Friday networking takes place at Philips Arena, with free admission to the Atlanta Dream basketball home game. Networking begins at 5:30 p.m. with the game tip-off at 7:30 p.m., www.atlantagaychamber.org Congregation Bet Haverim presents its Pride Seder at 7 p.m. at Central Congregational Church, www.congregationbethaverim.org Charis and the Crunk Feminist Collective join to present Robin Boylorn’s new book, “Sweetwater: Black Women and Narratives of Resilience,” 7:30 – 9 p.m. at Charis, www.charisbooksandmore.com.

Hear “Love Shack” and more as The B-52s rock it out at 8 p.m. at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org The Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus presents “Singing Out Proud” at 8 p.m at Emory’s Glenn Memorial Auditorium, www.agmchorus.org

Swank, a new party for the ladies, is set for 9 p.m. – 2:30 a.m. at 10th & Piedmont, www.communitashospitality.com/10th-andpiedmont/ Edie Cheezburger presents The Other Show on Fridays. Doors open at 8:30 p.m., show at 9:30 p.m. at Jungle, www.jungleclubatlanta.com

SUNDAY, JUNE 23 Hosted by Lakara Foster, Brown Sugar Vibe celebrates its sixth anniversary as an unparalleled presenter of live music and spoken word, starting at 7 p.m. at Kat’s Café, www.katscafeatlanta.com

The Fag Bash, the 9th annual Stonewall Weekend Throwdown, begins at 9 p.m. at Mary’s with special guest DJ Diablo Rojo, www.marysatlanta.com Atlanta Eagle hosts a ‘70s Disco Costumes Contest, as well as Mr. and Ms. Atlanta Eagle night, tonight at 10 p.m., www.atlantaeagle.com The Lips Down on Dixie troupe performs “Rocky Horror Picture Show” tonight as a fundraiser for Lost-N-Found Youth. Midnight at the Plaza Theatre, www.plazaatlanta.com

SATURDAY, JUNE 29

SAGE Atlanta presents “What About the T?” Panelists discuss transgender issues and how the lesbian and gay community can be more inclusive. Light lunch included; free for SAGE members, $5 for others. 11 a.m. at the Rush Center, www.sageatl.org Pitchers and catchers aplenty will be at the Bats N Rouge 4th Annual Softball Extravaganza, 12 – 4 p.m. at the Active Oval, Piedmont Park, www.hotlantasoftball.org The Old Fourth Ward Festival of the Arts takes place this weekend, from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Sunday, with plenty of fine arts and crafts, www.oldfourthwardparkartsfestival.com

CONTINUED ON PAGE 36

Publicity photo

Each Monday through Aug. 5, enjoy chair yoga with SAGE Atlanta, a group for LGBT seniors.

10 a.m. at the Rush Center, www.sageatl.org

Courtesy Photo

Comedian Tony Tripoli, writer for Joan Rivers, performs at 3 p.m. at Blake’s, benefiting Positive Impact, www.blakesontheparkatlanta.com

SATURDAY, JUNE 29 Michelle Malone performs from her new CD, “Day 2,” at 7 and 9:30 p.m. at Eddie’s Attic, www.eddiesattic.com

Publicity photo via Facebook

See your favorite Burkhart’s bartenders/staff in drag as part of the “Turnabout Show,” 7 – 11 p.m. at Burkhart’s, www.burkharts.com

JUNE, 29

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Country crooner Brad Paisley performs at 7 p.m. at Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood, www.ticketmaster.com

GA VOICE | 35

WEDNESDAY, JUly 3 DJ Phil B spins for Indepen-dance at 10 p.m. at Heretic Atlanta, www.hereticatlanta.com

06.21.13

CALENDAR

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UPCOMING EVENTS SUNDAY, JULY 7

Harry Connick Jr. croons his hits at 8 p.m. at Chastain, www.classicchastain.org

FRIDAY, JULY 12

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36 | GA VOICE

The Village People take the stage at 8 p.m. at the Cobb Energy Centre, w ww.cobbenergeycentre.org Bedlam presents “Paparazzi,” a new night out with “strong looks preferred,” on the second Friday of each month, starting tonight at 10th and Piedmont, www.bedlampresents.com

BEST BETS

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The Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus presents “Singing Out Proud: Living the Legacy “ at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m at Emory’s Glenn Memorial Auditorium, www.agmchorus.org Monopoly, Taboo and many more games will be on the menu at the LGBT Old School Game Night from 7 – 10 p.m. at the Rush Center, www.RushCenterAtl.org Community leaders will be recognized and funds will be raised at the Ninth Annual Evening for Equality at 7 p.m. at Twelve Hotel, presented by Georgia Equality, www.georgiaequality.org “Fashion Police” star Joan Rivers cracks jokes at 8 p.m. Symphony Hall, www.aso.org Enjoy country music early, then DJ Mike Pope spins at 12:30 a.m. at the Heretic, www.hereticatlanta.com DJ Randy Bettis spins at Jungle, www.jungleatl.com

SUNDAY, JUNE 30

Richard Bicknell performs with the Shameless Lovers at 6 p.m. at Eddie’s Attic, www.eddiesattic.com

FRIDAY, JULY 12

Jennifer Knapp and Steff Mahan perform together at 8 p.m. at Red Clay Theatre, www.eddieowenpresents.com

DJ Rick and DJ Maestro spin at 7 p.m. on Sundays at Mixx, www.mixxatlanta.com

MONDAY, JULY 1

PFLAG holds its monthly Atlanta meeting, 7:30 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta, www.pflagatl.org

TUESDAY, JULY 2

Music icon and recent Tony winner Cyndi Lauper performs at 8 p.m. at Symphony Hall, www.aso.org Tuesdays, Thursdays and early Saturdays are Three Legged Cowboy country nights at the Heretic, www.hereticatlanta.com Every Tuesday, sing out at Mary-oke starting at 9 p.m. at Mary’s, www.marysatlanta.com VJ Marco Polo puts on a night of showtunes every Tuesday night at 9 p.m. at Amsterdam Atlanta, www.amsterdamatlanta.com

WEDNESDAY, JULY 3

“Five Lesbians Eating a Quiche” debuts at 8 p.m. at the Shakespeare Tavern, www.shakespearetavern.com On Wednesdays, catch the Lust & Bust Show with host Lena Lust and featuring Shawnna Brooks. 11 p.m. at Blake’s on the Park, www.blakesontheparkatlanta.com

THURSDAY, JULY 4

The Atlanta Bears host a kickoff party for the upcoming Atlanta BearFest, 5 p.m. at the Atlanta Eagle, www.atlantaeagle.com

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06.21.13

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COLUMNISTS

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THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID Growing up, slowing down Mimic college life to regain the body you had back then This is the time of year we eat a little less and exercise a little more. Summer clothes have less fabric so it’s harder to hide the effects of a french fry fetish. But as we curse our reflections in the mirror, the very basic reality is that we simply don’t live very healthy lifestyles.Turns out, watching four hours of TV every night will always take its toll on a body.

Take the generations before us. My mother, Millie Pete, walked up to two miles to school every morning, and two miles home every evening, throughout her childhood. My father walked about a half mile each way. They each grew up on a farm, which means most of the food they ate was grown by their own families.

Yes, I know there are people who live in Whole Foods, only after they have spent an ungodly amount of time in an expensive gym. But for the rest of us, it is not as simple as needing a slap on the butt and a “You can do it” pep talk. As a generation, we just aren’t active people.

Let’s remember our own experiences. One of my greatest victories as a kid was beating running champion Yvette Sharp in a dash across the kickball field during recess. That’s when recess was part of a school’s curriculum, and such impromptu races were a common way to pass the time at Brown Elementary School.

Basketball and volleyball were the games of choice in my junior high school’s gym class, and I was on the tennis team in high school. The hills of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville proved challenging for all new students, especially lugging a 15-pound backpack along the way. The joke was you could tell what year a student was based on the size of their calves.

My life now is certainly not as ac-

Melissa Carter is also a writer for Huffington Post.

She broke ground as the first out lesbian radio personality on a major station in Atlanta and was one of the few out morning show personalities in the country. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCarter

tive. Spending a majority of my adult life in a radio studio has required me to remain sedentary during the day, and my television/laptop evenings don’t offer a lot of cardio. I try to take walks, but the time spent and distance walked don’t compare to my days as a student.

I respectfully disagree with those diet ads I see and hear, informing me that as a 40-something my old body’s systems are breaking down, resulting in weight gain that can only be conquered by their pills.

The reality is I don’t walk to work with a weight on my back, I’m not taking a break during the day to sweat it out on the basketball court, yet I can afford to eat and drink more than I did back in my days of youth.

Diet fads aren’t going to cure your weight issues, but neither is hating the body you’re in right now. Eating right and exercising are not new concepts, and it seems the more comfortable we make our lives, the more anxious we become about our bodies.

If we look back to how active we were forced to be in school, maybe we’ll realize we shouldn’t be insecure to put on a bathing suit today. It’s not age or a natural lack of will — we simply stopped moving.

If I were to write a book about this issue, I’d call it “Live Like You Were in College.” Even those that didn’t go to college could benefit, since the concept is simply walk everywhere with a backpack full of books.

You would also eat like you were on a meal plan, only having meals available during certain hours of the day. No counting calories, no joining a gym.

I’m pretty sure results would be immediate.

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Domestically

06.21.13

GA VOICE | 39

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DISTURBED Seems like old times History only repeats itself if we allow it

It’s after midnight in Washington, D.C., and I’m at Trio Restaurant with my best friend from high school, Kerstin. I haven’t seen her in a decade. We’re friends on Facebook, but keeping up with old friends via social media is like keeping up with the exploits of Amanda Bynes. You get the headlines, occasional in-depth reports, but you just can’t make sense of the whole story.

We look, sound, and interact exactly as we did at age 15. When you’re a teenager, you assume you’re going to grow up and become a completely different person. At some point your life will reach that point in the movie where there’s a clever transition and the child actor is replaced by the adult actor.

But then 20 years go by, and you realize the grownup version of you is still being played by you. You do not have the mind of an adult, and have no business being in charge of things.

But then you sit down with an old friend, find they’ve had the same experience, and discover that being a grownup is this total scam we set up to make young people feel more secure.

You are now living in the future, and what happens next actually is up to you.

Kerstin is a very convincing adult. She’s a lawyer now, expediting the immigration process for foreign asylum seekers. Each day, she changes lives, providing safety and hope for a better life. And me? I make up stories and sometimes pretend I’m Dixie Carter. So, ya know, we’ve both been real busy.

I’m in our nation’s capital for the opening of one of my made-up stories, a comedy entitled “Perfect Arrangement.” The play, set in 1950, centers on a gay State Department official and his lesbian co-worker. They marry each other’s respective partners, move into a duplex, and craft a flawless public image. Spoiler alert: There are flaws. Someone discovers their secret.

At the time, “deviant” government employees were being hunted down and fired, the rationale being that the employees’ dirty secret

Topher Payne is an Atlanta-based playwright, and the author of the book “Necessary Luxuries: Notes on a Semi-Fabulous Life.” Find out more at www.topherpayne.com

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lives made them vulnerable to blackmail. Plus, homosexuality was still classified as a mental illness, so obviously we needed to get those crazy fairies outta there before someone pried government secrets out of their limp-wristed, impeccably-manicured hands. The resulting witch hunt became known as “The Lavender Scare.”

But here’s the kicker: The big gay purge resulted in hundreds of well-educated homosexuals being rendered unemployable. In destroying their lives, our government created a force of headstrong people with nothing left to lose. For the first time in American history, our fight for visibility and respect went public.

Now I’m sitting in the same city, 63 years later, awaiting the Supreme Court ruling which could result in federal recognition of my marriage. My husband and I have held a Massachusetts marriage license for almost four years. In Georgia, it’s worthless, an assessment with which the federal government currently concurs. But we know better, and we’ve got proof. One day, that document will prove that we were wed in a time of great social upheaval, when our hearts and minds knew better than the law of the land.

There will always be people standing in the way of social progress: They simply have to do it, because their self-image is dependent upon believing they’re better than someone else. They’ll arbitrarily pick a trait — gender, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, class, favorite TV show — and decide that anyone who doesn’t fall into their own category is unworthy of equal footing.

The delightful thing is, they always lose. If history treats them kindly at all, it is by characterizing them as buffoons. More often, they’re exposed as the charismatic monsters they were.

When the Court announces its decision, we might make a great leap forward, or the rhetoric of people like Justice Scalia may attempt to block the path toward what is good, true and right. But Scalia is part of a species hurtling toward extinction. We’re the grownups now — the lawyers, the writers, the public servants.

What happens next will ultimately be up to us. History only repeats itself if we allow it.

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