06/03/22, Vol. 13 Issue 6

IMPORTANT FACTS FOR BIKTARVY®

This is only a brief summary of important information about BIKTARVY and does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your condition and your treatment.

(bik-TAR-vee)

MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT BIKTARVY

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF BIKTARVY

BIKTARVY may cause serious side effects, including:

BIKTARVY may cause serious side effects, including:

 Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. Your healthcare

 Those in the “Most Important Information About BIKTARVY”

provider will test you for HBV. If you have both HIV-1 and HBV, your HBV may suddenly get worse if you stop taking BIKTARVY. Do not stop taking BIKTARVY without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months, and may give you HBV medicine.

section.

 Changes in your immune system. Your immune system may get

stronger and begin to fight infections that may have been hidden in your body. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new symptoms after you start taking BIKTARVY.

 Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare

ABOUT BIKTARVY BIKTARVY is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in adults and children who weigh at least 55 pounds. It can either be used in people who have never taken HIV-1 medicines before, or people who are replacing their current HIV-1 medicines and whose healthcare provider determines they meet certain requirements.

BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. HIV-1 is the virus that causes AIDS. Do NOT take BIKTARVY if you also take a medicine that contains:  dofetilide  rifampin  any other medicines to treat HIV-1

BEFORE TAKING BIKTARVY Tell your healthcare provider if you:  Have or have had any kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis

infection.  Have any other health problems.

provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys. If you develop new or worse kidney problems, they may tell you to stop taking BIKTARVY.

 Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a

serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat.

 Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your

healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, lightcolored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain.

 The most common side effects of BIKTARVY in clinical studies were

diarrhea (6%), nausea (6%), and headache (5%).

These are not all the possible side effects of BIKTARVY. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking BIKTARVY.

 Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

BIKTARVY can harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking BIKTARVY.

Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with BIKTARVY.

 Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not

breastfeed. HIV-1 can be passed to the baby in breast milk.

HOW TO TAKE BIKTARVY

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take:

Take BIKTARVY 1 time each day with or without food.

 Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-the-counter

GET MORE INFORMATION

medicines, antacids, laxatives, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist.  BIKTARVY and other medicines may affect each other. Ask your

healthcare provider and pharmacist about medicines that interact with BIKTARVY, and ask if it is safe to take BIKTARVY with all your other medicines.

 This is only a brief summary of important information about BIKTARVY.

Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more.

 Go to BIKTARVY.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5  If you need help paying for your medicine, visit BIKTARVY.com for

program information.

BIKTARVY, the BIKTARVY Logo, GILEAD, the GILEAD Logo, GSI, and KEEP BEING YOU are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. Version date: February 2021 © 2022 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. US-BVYC-0085 02/22

US_BVYC_0085_BIKTARVY_B_10x10-5_GeorgiaVoice-Chad_r1v1jl.indd All Pages

#1 PRESCRIBED

HIV TREATMENT * *Source: IQVIA NPA Weekly, 04/19/2019 through 05/28/2021.

CHAD LIVING WITH HIV SINCE 2018 REAL BIKTARVY PATIENT

KEEP BEING YOU. Because HIV doesn’t change who you are.

BIKTARVY® is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in certain adults. BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS.

Ask your healthcare provider if BIKTARVY is right for you.

ONE SMALL PILL, ONCE A DAY Pill shown not actual size (15 mm x 8 mm) | Featured patient compensated by Gilead.

Please see Important Facts about BIKTARVY, including important warnings, on the previous page and visit BIKTARVY.com.

Scan to see Chad’s story.

5/26/22 11:23 AM

voice

georgia VOLUME 13• ISSUE 6 About the cover:

Photo by iStock.com /mbolina

TheGeorgiaVoice.com

PO Box 77401 • Atlanta, GA 30357 P: 404-815-6941; F: 404-963-6365

Business

Principal/Publisher: Tim Boyd tboyd@thegavoice.com

Editorial

Editor: Katie Burkholder kburkholder@thegavoice.com

Editorial Contributors: Sukainah Abid-Kons, Melissa Carter, Helmut Domagalski, Jim Farmer, Jeff Graham, María Helena Dolan, Divine Ikpe

Production

Art Director: Rob Boeger rboeger@thegavoice.com

Sales

Sales Executive: Dixon Taylor dtaylor@thegavoice.com

Sales Executive: Jim Brams jbrams@thegavoice.com

Sales Executive & Photographer: Russell Bowen-Youngblood russ@alphabetsoupmarketing.com

Business Advisor: Lynn Pasqualetti Financial Firm of Record: HLM Financial Group

National Advertising:

Rivendell Media • 908-232-2021 sales@rivendellmedia.com

Publisher Emeritus: Chris Cash

Fine Print

All material in Georgia Voice is protected by federal copyright law and may not be reproduced without the written consent of Georgia Voice. The sexual orientation of advertisers, photographers, writers and cartoonists published herein is neither inferred nor implied. The appearance of names or pictorial representation does not necessarily indicate the sexual orientation of that person or persons. We also do not accept responsibility for claims made by advertisers.

Unsolicited editorial material is accepted by Georgia Voice, but we do not take responsibility for its return. The editors reserve the right to accept, reject, or edit any submission. Guidelines for freelance contributors are available upon request.

A single copy of Georgia Voice is available from authorized distribution points. Multiple copies are available from Georgia Voice office only. Call for rates. If you are unable to reach a convenient free distribution point, you may receive a 24-issue mailed subscription for $99 per year. Checks or credit card orders can be sent to Tim Boyd, tboyd@thegavoice.com Postmaster: Send address changes to Georgia Voice, PO Box 77401, Atlanta, GA 30357. Georgia Voice is published twice a month by Georgia Voice, LLC. Individual subscriptions are $99 per year for 24 issues. Postage paid at Atlanta, GA, and additional mailing offices.

The editorial positions of Georgia Voice are expressed in editorials and in editor’s notes. Other opinions are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Georgia Voice and its staff.

To submit a letter or commentary: Letters should be fewer than 400 words and commentary, for web or print, should be fewer than 750 words. Submissions may be edited for content and length, and must include a name, address, and phone number for verification.

Email submissions to editor@thegavoice.com or mail to the address above.

Join us online:

facebook.com/thegavoice twitter.com/thegavoice instagram.com/thegeorgiavoice youtube.com/user/GAVoice

4 EDITORIAL JUNE 3, 2022

GUEST EDITORIAL

Time is Running Out to Ensure Equality and Fairness for All Jeff Graham, Executive Director, Georgia Equality Members of the LGBTQ community and our allies around the country will take the next few weeks to commemorate those brave souls who resisted police oppression during the Stonewall Riots of 1969. There will be celebrations and parades. Companies will paste rainbows on everything from T-shirts to laundry detergent, and city halls around the country will raise Pride flags.

June is also when we commemorate critical U.S. Supreme Court victories, including those that ensured the right to have consensual sex lives, the freedom to marry, and the right to be free from employment discrimination. All these rulings have been milestones that add value to the celebrations and mark important milestones in our movement.

But this year there are storm clouds looming that threaten to rain on our parades as we wait anxiously for that same Court to invalidate 50 years of legal precedent protecting women by overturning Roe v.

Wade. Should this unprecedented rollback of an individual right come to pass, we must face the inconvenient truth that rights afforded by courts can be reversed if they are not backed up by law.

In fact, what is often lost among celebrations and flag waving is that the only laws that protect us from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity have been passed by state and local governments. We should celebrate those hard-won battles, but we must also

acknowledge that in 29 states it is still perfectly acceptable to discriminate against LGBTQ people in most instances.

threatened by a Presidential veto.

The Equality Act would change that by adding sexual orientation and gender identity to current federal civil rights law, but that bill has been stalled in the U.S. Senate for over a year. Despite strong bipartisan public support, including 89 percent of Democrats and 65 percent of Republicans, like so many other critical pieces of legislation this bill has yet to garner enough Republican votes to pass the Senate without the threat of a filibuster.

It is time to demand that all who claim they support nondiscrimination rights get serious about working out a bipartisan compromise.

Georgia Equality has joined with other state and federal organizations to create Equality and Fairness for All Americans.

This effort is a grassroots initiative to develop a framework to bring voices across the political spectrum together that will lead to the legislative language that will not only make it through the U.S. Senate, but will also be adopted by the House and signed by President Biden.

The good news is that there are at least ten Republicans in the Senate who have expressed some level of support for passing some form of LGBTQ nondiscrimination legislation, so there is hope that this can pass — but we are running out of time for action. And we need action now to ensure that legislation passes Congress and heads to President Biden’s desk before the end of the year.

The goal of the Equality and Fairness for All Americans framework is simple: to provide all Americans protections in employment, education, housing, credit, jury service, and public accommodations, including members of the LGBTQ and faith communities.

These are not radical, partisan actions, but rather policy solutions aimed at bringing meaningful federal nondiscrimination protections to millions.

Unfortunately, if nothing passes into law this year, no one knows for sure when there will be LGBTQ supportive majorities in both the House and Senate as well as the White House again.

That is why this Pride month, we must follow the lead of those who said enough is enough at the Stonewall Inn. Equality and fairness are not red or blue issues — they are American values. All hardworking people want equal opportunity and protections to do their jobs and provide for their families. LGBTQ people want the same thing as everyone else: the freedom to work hard, access basic services, and care for themselves and their loved ones without fear of discrimination.

The first federal nondiscrimination bill was introduced in 1974, five short years after the Stonewall Riots. That means that for nearly 50 years, Congress has refused to pass legislation that would guarantee our right to hold a job, secure housing or receive essential services such as health care. And while there were times when previous bills passed one chamber, they either didn’t pass the other or were

You can find out more about this framework and how to support the effort at EqualityandFairness.com.

THEGEORGIAVOICE.COM

NEWS BRIEFS Staff reports Read these stories and more online at thegavoice.com

Primary Results Set the Tone for Statewide Races in November Brian Kemp and Stacey Abrams will go headto-head once again this November in the race for Georgia governor after both won their nominations in May 24’s primary election.

Kemp won the Republican nomination with 73.7 percent of the vote, widely beating out runner up David Perdue with 21.8 percent.

Abrams ran unopposed.

Raphael Warnock, who won the primary against Tamara Johnson-Shealey with 96 percent of the vote, will face Republican Hershel Walker in November for the Senate seat currently held by Warnock after he won a special election last year. Walker won the Republican nomination with 68.2 percent of the vote.

Incumbent Chris Carr will face Democrat Jen Jordan for Attorney General. Both garnered more than 70 percent of the vote in their respective primaries.

As for the Secretary of State, the Democratic primary is set to advance to a run-off between bee Nguyen and Dee Dawkins-Haigler, as Nguyen failed to surpass the 50 percent threshold with 44.2 percent of the vote.

Whoever wins will face incumbent Brad Raffensperger, who won the Republican nomination with 52.3 percent.

The primary runoffs will be held on June 21.

Learn more at mvp.sos.ga.gov.

CDC Warns Gay and Bisexual Men of Monkeypox Risk The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has alerted gay and bisexual men that monkeypox appears to be spreading in the community worldwide.

Monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted infection, but it can be transmitted through sexual and intimate contact as well as through shared bedding, according to CNBC. The virus spreads through contact with body fluids and sores, according to Dr. John Brooks, a CDC official.

6 NEWS JUNE 3, 2022

CDC warns gay and bisexual men of monkeypox risk. PHOTO BY PEXELS.COM / ANDREA PIACQUADIO Symptoms for monkeypox are similar to the flu, including fever, headache, muscle aches, chills, exhaustion, and swollen lymph nodes.

It then progresses into body rashes. Patients are considered most infectious when they have a rash.

“Anyone with a rash or lesion around or involving their genitals, their anus, or any other place that they have not seen it before, should be fully evaluated, both for that rash but particularly for sexually transmitted infection and other illnesses that can cause rash,” Brooks told CNBC. Dr. Brooks says that, while anyone can contract monkeypox through close personal contact, many of the people who are being affected by it are gay and bisexual men.

The World Health Organization has identified about 200 confirmed or suspected monkeypox cases across at least a dozen countries in Europe and North America.

The smallpox vaccine appears to be about 85 percent effective at preventing monkeypox, according to the CDC. The U.S. also has more than 1,000 available doses of a vaccine called Jynneos for people 18 and older who are at high risk of monkeypox or smallpox.

Pulse Survivor ‘At a Loss’ Over Texas Elementary School Massacre A survivor of the Pulse nightclub massacre

on Wednesday said he is “at a loss” over the massacre at a Texas elementary school that left 21 people dead.

“Twenty-one people were murdered,” said Equality Florida Press Secretary Brandon Wolf in a statement he sent to the Washington Blade a day after a gunman killed 21 people inside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. “Nineteen of them were children — babies. That means 19 families sent their elementary age kids off to school only to get the worst news: That their babies would be leaving class in body bags.”

Wolf was inside the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., on June 12, 2016, when a gunman opened fire and killed 49 people.

His two close friends — Christopher “Drew” Leinonen and his fiancé, Juan Guerrero — were among those killed.

Wolf in his statement noted “right wing politicians have spent the past year insisting that the greatest threats our children face are the potential they’ll learn that this nation was built on the backs of enslaved Black people or that their teacher uses they/them pronouns.”

“They’ve banned books, censored curriculum and bastardized history lessons,” said Wolf. “All the while, they haven’t lifted a finger to protect kids from what is killing them.”

THEGEORGIAVOICE.COM

FO LLOW YO UR HEART W H EREVER IT LEADS YO U .

Boricua [boh-ree-kwah] is more than a word to identify a person from Puerto Rico. It’s a way of life that’s about embracing your passion and living every moment. And we welcome everyone who visits our Island to do the same. Book your trip today.

DiscoverPuertoRico.com/LiveBoricua

LOCAL NEWS

Former Private School Teacher Says GSA Faced Censorship from School Administration and seniors. However, because the school encompasses all grades from pre-K on, the club was allegedly told that having the word “gay” in the yearbook was problematic for parents and students in the lower school.

Katie Burkholder A Gay Straight Alliance at LaGrange Academy, a private pre-K through 12 school in west Georgia, has allegedly faced several roadblocks from school administration that bear striking resemblance to Don’t Say Gay legislation.

“I got an email from the head of school specifically saying we’re in a pre-K through 12 school, and our lower school parents are the ones who need to make the decision about whether they’re going to explain what homosexuality is to their kids, and that’s the reason we need to take these things down,” the former teacher said. “It’s very much ‘Don’t Say Gay.’”

A former teacher from LaGrange Academy, who requested to remain anonymous, told Georgia Voice that potential anti-LGBTQ backlash from prospective parents has created barriers to the GSA since its inception.

It all started in December 2021, when students from the local chapter of the National Honor Society did a project painting a Little Free Library in town. On the front was the name of the school, and one student painted a rainbow on the top. A parent allegedly called to complain, so the students had to paint over the rainbow. This resulted in several students calling a meeting with the head of school to discuss starting a GSA. “They said, ‘Well, if we can’t do this, can we create a group where we can have members of the LGBTQ community and allies come together?’ They were told verbally ‘yes’ by the head of school,” our source said. “That was in December. When we came back in January, we tried to get the group off the ground, and we had to jump through a lot of hoops that we weren’t told existed. [We were told] you have to have formal permission, which was never a thing before. We asked to put up flyers, so people knew the club existed. We were told ‘yes,’ and we did, and then they were all taken down. It was just a constant back and forth of ‘yes, but no.’”

The teacher told Georgia Voice that they had a meeting with the head of school where they were allegedly told that there was no protocol set in place for clubs to be established.

8 NEWS JUNE 3, 2022

The yearbooks were finally published and printed, but they have not yet been given to students. Our source says the teachers received an email saying the yearbooks were going to be edited, reprinted, and distributed in August. They believe it has something to do with the GSA club page, which featured a quote from a student that included the word “straight.”

LaGrange Academy’s GSA was allegedly told that having the word “gay” on their yearbook page was problematic for parents and students in the lower school. COURTESY IMAGE “I was like, ‘Can you please just tell us what the protocol is for starting a club so that for the future we know?’ He said, ‘Well, there isn’t a protocol. You guys are helping us to form the protocol now,’” they said. “How are we messing up this process if the process doesn’t exist? We were told on multiple occasions that the club could exist, but it kept being watered down so much to the point that it was unrecognizable.”

This trend continued. Our source says that

the yearbook group was was allegedly told by the head of school that the GSA club page in the yearbook had to be approved, something that they said had “never happened before.” “[They] showed him the page, and it said Gay Straight Alliance. [They] had to take off Gay Straight Alliance and just put GSA,” they said. “Then [they] had to take off the description and just put a photo.”

The GSA is only open to high school students and is currently made up only of sophomores

“We had a quote from one of the members where the word ‘straight’ was used, and that caused a ruckus,” they said. “The yearbooks were printed and delivered, and the head of school requested to ask to see the yearbook.

The next day, they were all gone and put in the head of school’s office. They ultimately decided that they weren’t going to give them out to the kids … They wanted to take quotes off all the club pages, which doesn’t make sense because it’s just things that say like, ‘I love being in Beta Club.’”

Our source says the students in GSA are aware of the situation and are “livid.”

Georgia Voice reached out to Brian Dolinger, the head of school at LaGrange Academy, for comment and received no response. We will publish updates as they come.

THEGEORGIAVOICE.COM

Brian had his HIV under control with medication. But smoking with HIV caused him to have serious health problems, including a stroke, a blood clot in his lungs and surgery on an artery in his neck. Smoking makes living with HIV much worse. You can quit.

CALL 1-800-QUIT-NOW.

#CDCTips

HIV alone didn’t cause the clogged artery in my neck.

Smoking with HIV did.

Brian, age 45, California

PRIDE MONTH

Rainbow Capitalism: Harmful or Helpful?

PHOTO BY SHUTTERSTOCK.COM / RBLFMR

Sukainah Abid-Kons When Charis Books and More opened in 1974, it wasn’t identified as a queer-owned business, and wouldn’t be until one of its two founders came out years later. It was, however, intentionally a feminist bookstore, which has over the years developed into a safe space for the queer and trans community, women, and so many more.

“We’re a mission-based business,” said Sara Look, who is now one of the co-owners of Charis. “Yes, we’re a queer bookstore, we’re a feminist bookstore, we’re a multiracial space, we’re an intergenerational space.”

When Charis started to identify itself as a queer bookstore, it entered a distinct category of businesses. Since then, businesses big and small across the country have begun selling items that used to be found only in queerowned shops. Notably, massive corporations such as Target and Walmart have also started selling items tailored to LGBTQIA+ customers, especially during Pride Month

10 PRIDE MONTH JUNE 3, 2022

in June. It has become so common for big corporations to sell Pride merchandise that there is now a term for it.

noted that there are only a “handful” of bookstores similar to Charis left, compared to when it was founded.

“Rainbow capitalism” is the phrase used to describe the capitalistic exploitation of Pride by large corporations. The term came to describe the sudden influx of corporate Pride merchandise that occurred after marriage equality was established with Obergefell v.

Hodges in 2015, and initially seemed like a great step forward to many people. But how much of it is performative? Does the mass production of Pride-themed products take business from queer-owned businesses that may have similar, maybe more expensive stock? Like many other issues, the answer lies in shades of gray.

Additionally, many critics of rainbow capitalism find the perceived allyship of big companies to be performative. Rainbow flags are added to a store logo during June, but all traces of Pride are wiped clean on July 1.

One prominent critique of rainbow capitalism is that it shifts the focus of Pride away from queer liberation and emphasizes consumerism instead. These massive corporations can also draw business away from smaller, queerowned businesses, as they are often able to carry more stock at cheaper prices. Look

“I think [the allyship] is performative, and I think it’s all capitalism,” Look said. “Having said that, I know that for many people, particularly in rural communities … their only real queer community is online. For those folks to be able to walk into a Target and see Pride merchandise is amazing.”

Look pointed out that there are both positive and negative effects of this mass production of Pride products.

Ultimately, a lot of power comes back to the consumer. If you live in an area with a queer-owned business that sells the books, flags, or any other Pride materials you

are looking for, you have the option of supporting a local business or a corporation.

Yet for those who have no such access to these safe spaces, seeing representation in a store they are able to visit could give them the validation they may not receive from their own community.

On this topic, Look had some advice: “We’re an independent bookstore, so we’re gonna tell people to never shop at Amazon.com.”

She also added that she personally knows of feminist bookstores that have gone out of business in part due to Amazon.

So, is rainbow capitalism good or bad?

Really, that’s for the consumer to decide.

It may benefit their queer community and validate their identity, or it may threaten the businesses that offer them safe and welcoming spaces. LGBTQ+ people need to decide what best benefits their area and put their money toward what will offer a safer and more welcoming environment for them and their community.

THEGEORGIAVOICE.COM

This nationally touring exhibition is the first major survey of work by American artist Bob Thompson to be presented in more than two decades. It includes paintings and works on paper spanning his brief but prolific career, which is characterized by a rigorous engagement with art history and a commitment to expressive figuration.

Bob Thompson: This House Is Mine is organized by the Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine, and curated by Diana Tuite, and generously supported by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, halley k harrisburg and Michael Rosenfeld, the Alex Katz Foundation, Richard and Mary L. Gray Foundation, the Robert Lehman Foundation, and the Terra Foundation for American Art. PREMIER EXHIBITION SERIES SPONSOR

PREMIER EXHIBITION SERIES SUPPORTERS ACT Foundation, Inc. Sarah and Jim Kennedy Louise Sams and Jerome Grilhot

BENEFACTOR EXHIBITION SERIES SUPPORTERS Robin and Hilton Howell

HIGH MUSEUM OF ART ATLANTA • JUNE 17–SEPT. 11 • HIGH.ORG Bob Thompson (American, 1937–1966), Homage to Nina Simone, 1965, oil on canvas, Minneapolis Institute of Art ,The John R. Van Derlip Fund. © Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC, New York. Photo: Minneapolis Institute of Art.

PRIDE MONTH

A Preview to Atlanta’s First Pride in Two Years FILE PHOTO BY ROB BOEGER

Divine Ikpe From a protest to a party, the celebration of Pride has changed drastically over the years and this year’s celebration could entail more change. This will be the 52nd Anniversary of Pride in Atlanta and the first Pride celebration in two years since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since the official 50-year milestone was missed, it will be celebrated this year. Jamie Fergerson, Executive Director of the Atlanta Pride Committee (APC), told Georgia Voice that planning this year’s event has felt both “familiar and like a brand-new experience” due to the “profound weight of responsibility” they feel for putting on a large scale in-person event while COVID-19 transmission is ramping up again. They hope that pandemic-related issues will simmer down by October, but are prepared to follow COVID-19 protocols for the indoor events just in case. Fergerson said that regardless of this new world they’re entering, APC is still on track for a fantastic event.

12 PRIDE MONTH JUNE 3, 2022

So far, the planning has mostly revolved around infrastructure: staging, flooring, port-a-potties, hiring contractors, all the practical parts of event planning.

More recently, they started booking the entertainment, although Fergerson couldn’t yet share who has been booked.

The parade and marketplace are almost completely full, with only a few spots left to spare, but the applications for food vendors, local performers, and volunteering will be opening soon, so be on the lookout.

APC has also been planning yearround and Stonewall month events. The Stonewall planning involves 20 events that will be occurring over the month of June, including a 5K at Piedmont Park, some mental health programming, a history of Stonewall, an Atlanta Dream Pride Night, a queer fashion show, and more. They also will be doing a lot of voting-related events leading up to the festival and voter registration at the festival in preparation

for the gubernatorial race in November.

It’s difficult to say how this year will differ overall compared to 2019, but there are a few distinct changes. Outdoor events will remain relatively the same, but indoor events will have to follow COVID-19 protocols and CDC best practices.

APC has also been trying to establish inclusive programming that reflects the community. APC has “more than quadrupled” its programming dealing with race, gender and trans inclusion, but in order to know if it’s enough for the community, they created a comprehensive Community Needs Assessment. This will be paired with focus groups with marginalized members of the community to better understand how to serve them and represent them. Fergerson said the survey’s goal is to find the answer to four questions: who is Atlanta Pride, who do we need to be to serve our community, who does the community need us to be, and where are we going?

Overall, Atlanta Pride promises to come back with a bang. While the event will be a time of joy, fun, and celebration, Fergerson also emphasized the importance of Pride as a time for people to embrace who they are and live their authentic truth, no matter their age, and reflect on the work that needs to be done for our community. “[W]henever you come out, whenever you join the community, is a great time to do it,” Fergerson said. “We have a lot of people coming out younger these days, but there’s also a lot of people coming out older, and I think that that should be celebrated on both ends … [W]e live in complex spaces, and Pride is the same. [Pride is] a party, a celebration of all that our community has done, [but] we have a responsibility to share the history of our community and advocate for issues in the community. Let’s have a party, let’s have a good time, but we can’t forget how much important work we still have left to do.”

To learn more about Atlanta Pride, visit atlantapride.org.

THEGEORGIAVOICE.COM

THEGEORGIAVOICE.COM

JUNE 3, 2022 ADS 13

PRIDE MONTH

Pride Comes to Northwest Georgia June 24–26 Katie Burkholder PFLAG Rome is bringing LGBTQ support and celebration to Northwest Georgia this month with its inaugural Pride festival from June 24 through 26.

Lynn Green, the president and founder of PFLAG Rome, started the organization after her child came out as transgender. It was then when she realized that Northwest Georgia was what she calls an “LGBTQ support desert,” and she wanted to do something about it.

“When my child first came out to me about two-and-a-half years ago, I looked for anybody who knew anything about anything,” Green told Georgia Voice. “There was support in Atlanta, Chattanooga, Huntsville, and Birmingham. But that big triangle [of Northwest Georgia] was empty.”

It was through PFLAG Rome that Green met Justin Deal. Deal grew up in Rome and had struggles as a child after coming out, but in his adulthood, he realized he loved Rome and wanted to make it a better place for him and others in the LGBTQ community.

“After I jumped around, I decided that I really loved Rome and I wanted it to be my forever home,” Deal said. “But in order for that to be a full-on possibility for me, I knew we had to do something. We had to move the needle in order to have at least a more open acceptance of LGBTQ people in this area.”

14 PRIDE MONTH JUNE 3, 2022

From left: Caleb Blaylock, Justin Deal, and Lynn Green at The Student Spin podcast at Georgia Highlands College. COURTESY PHOTO

Green and Deal bonded over wanting to do something to connect Rome to its LGBTQ community, and thus, Rome Pride was born.

While Rome Pride has hosted events since 2018, this is the first official Pride festival.

The three-day festival kicks off on Friday, June 24 with a ticketed comedy and drag event at The Vogue. The show will feature local drag troupe, the Sizzling Sisters of Rome, as a well as performers from Atlanta, Tennessee, and Alabama.

Saturday, June 25, will be a full day of festivities, starting with sunrise yoga at Rome Labyrinth at 8am, before the Rainbow March down Broad Street at 11. Included in the march will be the Chatta Pride Spinners, an LGBTQ color guard troupe from Chattanooga, Tennessee, as well as a trolley for anybody who wants to participate but isn’t physically able to. The march ends at Pride Plaza, located at Heritage Park, where there will be 45 vendors selling goods, as well as nonprofits like AIDS Resource Council,

the Sexual Assault Center, the Human Rights Campaign, and the American Red Cross. There will also be food trucks, an entertainment stage with daytime drag and live music from 10am to 7pm, and a children’s area with crafts and their own DJ. All the events are free and family friendly.

The day concludes with a ticketed 90-minute Rome Riverboat Cruise at 6:30pm, which will include champagne, charcuterie, and desserts, and a drag show at Tortaco at 7.

The weekend closes out with a nondenominational community church service celebrating Pride and the LGBTQ community led by Jay Burns-Horton at First United Methodist Church on Sunday, June 26, at 10am.

Unlike Atlanta, Rome is a predominantly Republican city in infamously anti-LGBTQ U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s district.

still seen an overwhelming show of support from its community.

“With the political climate, it can be very scary,” Deal said. “But at the same time, who’s going to step up? We decided to take that on and take the risk and really go for it. I’m so amazed at the support we’ve received, I’m kind of flabbergasted because I wasn’t expecting this for the first year. I feel a lot better, but of course there’s still opposition, and there probably always will be. We really wanted to embrace the community and get them involved so they could see us as humans and see us for who we really are. We’re Romans, too, and we want the community to thrive, as well.”

Rome Pride is the biggest LGBTQ event in the history of Northwest Georgia, and it’s a celebration for everyone in Northwest Georgia and beyond — especially those who, like Green did, need support in an area where it’s sparse.

“We have community members that are 100 percent on board and completely supportive and want to be involved,” Lynn Green said, “and then we have the exact opposite.”

“Although we are called Rome Pride and PFLAG Rome, we’re reaching out all across Northwest Georgia and even farther,” Green said. “We’re support and a celebration for more than just the city of Rome.”

However, despite the growing animosity and political vitriol nationwide, Rome Pride has

To learn more about Rome Pride, visit romegapride.com.

THEGEORGIAVOICE.COM

THEGEORGIAVOICE.COM

JUNE 3, 2022 ADS 15

PRIDE MONTH

No One Does Pride Like the South Bob the Drag Queen performed in 2021 at Outfest Columbia in Columbia, South Carolina.

Katie Burkholder Happy Pride month! While Atlanta Pride is still months away, there are plenty of Pride festivals and celebrations happening across Georgia and the Southeast. So, pack your bags, head out of the city, and wave that rainbow flag!

PRIDE IN GEORGIA Columbus June 3 – 4

Columbus Pride kicks off with the Mr/Ms/ Mx Columbus Pride Pageant on Friday at 7pm before the festival on Saturday from 9am to 10pm. Both events will be held at 1100 Broadway. Learn more at colgaypride.org.

Valdosta June 4

South Georgia Pride hosts Music and Art on Main from 2pm to 7pm at Hahira Train Depot.

Attendees will enjoy entertainment from Mama Stone, Jen Anders, Flintlock Annie, Tom Hochschild/Azalea City Entertainment, and Samantha Fox, plus food trucks and vendors. Learn more at southgapride.com.

Athens June 12

The Athens Pride and Queer Collective is

16 PRIDE MONTH JUNE 3, 2022

PHOTO VIA FACEBOOK

hosting their first-ever Athens Pride Parade on June 12 in Downtown Athens at 1:30pm!

The parade route will begin near Creature Comforts on Hancock, make a right on Hull, a left on Clayton, a left on College Avenue, and ends at Thomas Lay Park. At the end of the parade, there will be a BBQueer at the park featuring bands, activities, and barbecue (with vegan options!). Learn more and register for the parade at athenspride.org.

Augusta

June 24 – 26 August Pride begins with Beats on Broad: Purple Party on Friday at 6pm. For a $10 cover, dance the night away at Augusta Common. Then, the festivities kick off with the Augusta Pride Parade at 10:30am on Saturday. The parade will line up on Jones Street, between 10th and 11th streets. The festival then begins at 11am at the Augusta Common. Round out the weekend with the Ain’t Misbehavin’ Pool Party at noon on Sunday at the Parliament Resort. 21+ with a $10 cover. Learn more at prideaugusta.org.

Rome

June 24 – 26 The inaugural Rome Pride celebration will include a comedy and drag show, rainbow march, festival with vendors and entertainment, dessert river cruise, non-denominational Pride

church service, and more! Learn more on page 14 and online at romegapride.com.

PRIDE IN THE SOUTHEAST Birmingham, AL June 1 – 12

Central Alabama Pride has a whopping twelve days of Pride events happening this year, spanning everything from Pride skate night on June 7 to the Royal Pride Prom for LGBTQ youth on June 10. The festivities conclude with a nighttime Mardis Gras-style Pride parade on June 11 at 8pm, stepping off from 32nd Street South, and PRIDEFEST on June 12 at 11am at Linn Park. Learn more at centralalabamapride.org.

Key West, FL June 3 – 5

Key West Pride weekend is chock full of events like drag shows, pool parties, and tea dances from early morning to late night.

The official Pride Street Fair will be held on Saturday from 10am to 5pm on Duval Street, and the parade will be held at 5pm on Sunday. Find the full line-up of events and learn more at gaykeywestfl.com/pride.

Columbia, SC June 4

Outfest Columbia will feature “RuPaul’s

Drag Race” season 14 winner Willow Pill, plus a lineup of other performers and vendors at The Vista, all starting at 1pm.

Learn more at scpride.org.

Jackson, MS June 25

While MS Capital City Pride’s official Pride weekend isn’t until September, they’re hosting a Pride Month Block Party on Duling Street.

Learn more at mscapitalcitypride.org.

Nashville, TN June 25 – 26

The two-day Nashville Pride festival will begin at 11am each day at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park. The festival will feature live entertainment across three stages, a kids and family zone, youth area, community art, and over 225 vendors.

The parade kicks off on Saturday at 10am at Broadway/8th Ave. Learn more at nashvillepride.org.

Raleigh, NC June 25

Out! Raleigh Pride, organized by the LGBTQ Center of Raleigh, will feature speakers, performers, and vendors in downtown Raleigh’s Fayetteville St. district.

Learn more at outraleigh.com.

THEGEORGIAVOICE.COM

Full Page

10” x 10.5”

THE GAYLY DOSE HELMUT DOMAGALSKI

HUMAN PRIDE:

OUR TIME, OUR MOVEMENT Helmut Domagalski, Co-host, The Gayly Dose I want to talk seriously about the Human Pride Movement. At a time of increasing unrest, we cannot forget our purpose and values. Pride Month is not a time to simply decorate your corporate brand or to party hard with friends. Pride is also a time to dig deep into why our work is important and nowhere near done.

We live in an unprecedented time for gay people. Never have we been so visible and embraced across the globe. But this freedom fuels long-standing fears that the LGBTQ community will destroy the fabric of “decent” society altogether. Do not be a fool. This is still a fight, not just here in the United States, but globally where our kind is under constant attack.

Why? Because we can bind all people together across a common set of ethics and love that offers a way of improved life that modern religions and governments often fail to provide.

Our movement is one for ALL of humanity.

Through the LGBTQ community, the nations can be greatly blessed. We can be the spark that raises the bar for all of humanity to operate at its very best.

“Our movement is one for ALL of humanity. Through the LGBTQ community, the nations can be greatly blessed. We can be the spark that raises the bar for all of humanity to operate at its very best.” incomplete without this code of six values to shape it: Authenticity. We embrace truth as the highest form of love, as without honesty, a person cannot be known, nor can a person choose to truly love another in return.

We deserve authenticity from others, and especially demand it of our leaders.

Let me humbly demonstrate this in what I believe to be our mission and our values:

Joy. We celebrate the beauty of all aspects of life and choose to discover happiness in as many places as we can, even in our sufferings. We smile and we demand peace from our leaders.

The Human Pride Movement seeks the unconditional love of all humans in their authentic variations, especially identity and sexuality. Our Human Pride Mission is

Inclusivity. Again, our ranks include all humans. We embrace variety in our friendships and chosen family. We demand inclusivity to be evidenced in the lives of our leaders and the

18 COLUMNIST JUNE 3, 2022

PHOTO BY ISTOCKSTOCK.COM / NKTWENTYTHREE

power structures of our country.

Generosity. We recognize and respect our varied advantages as people. We use our gifts to promote the good of other humans. We expect our leaders to give greatly.

Humility. We temper our pride. Our exuberance for self is strongly measured with the honoring of other perspectives. We will not parade our freedoms in identity and sexuality at the cost of the psychological safety of our children. Our leaders should balance love of self and their love of others.

Love. We love without condition. We love knowing all humans, including ourselves, are built with the capacity for both good and evil thoughts. However, we will not tolerate the abuse of love. Our leaders demonstrate love and defend it.

Refocusing on our Human Pride mission is crucial. Help me to manifest a day when

each human is not only fed, educated, free and equal, but is also given the safety to become their true self. Such a time and place will be the ultimate victory for us all.

This Pride, it’s okay to party hard and buy your rainbow merch from your favorite brands. But be authentic, do it with joy, include others, be generous, be humble and above all … love! Demand more of yourself and your leaders to make this Human Pride dream a reality for future generations.

Helmut is the founder of The Gayly Dose, an Atlanta-based podcast that elicits vulnerable and honest dialogue about everyday and taboo topics that LGBTQ+ people aren’t having with each other … but should. Purposefully candid and brutally honest, the cast speaks on a range of topics, including gender norms, monogamy, body issues, coming out, dating apps, lesbian breakups, and growing up gay in the church.

Listen and watch at thegaylydose.com. Follow @thegaylydosepod.

THEGEORGIAVOICE.COM

JUN 2 - 19

@ PULLMAN YARDS 225 ROGERS ST • ATLANTA

BOOK BY JOE MASTEROFF BASED ON THE PLAY BY JOHN VAN DRUTEN STORIES BY CHRISTOPHER ISHERWOOD MUSIC BY JOHN KANDER LYRICS BY FRED EBB ORIGINALLY CO-DIRECTED & CHOREOGRAPHED BY ROB MARSHALL ORIGINALLY DIRECTED BY SAM MENDES

ATLANTAOPERA.ORG | 404-881-8885

JUN 9 & 11

@ PULLMAN YARDS 225 ROGERS ST • ATLANTA

MUSIC & CONCEPT LAURA KAMINSKY LIBRETTO MARK CAMPBELL & KIMBERLY REED FILM KIMBERLY REED

PrEP PrEP is a low-cost daily pill that is 99% effective against HIV. Call 678-365-4300 to be connected with a PIHC PrEP Coordinator or find a PrEP provider near you.

FREE HIV TESTING AT-HOME

Learn your HIV status privately in the comfort of your home. Call a PIHC Prevention Specialist at 678-365-4300 to have your free at-home test delivered.

Or, order online at: PIHCga.org/athometesting

DRIVE-THRU Walk-in or drive-up HIV testing is available at PIHC’s Decatur and Duluth locations.

DECATUR

DULUTH

523 Church St, Ste B Decatur, GA 30030 678-365-4300

3350 Breckinridge Blvd Ste 200A Duluth, GA 30096 470-361-2724

PIHCga.org

REELING IN THE YEARS MARÍA HELENA DOLAN

HOW THE SUPREMES HAVE F***ED UP PRIDE 2022 María Helena Dolan It’s June! The month we celebrate queer rights, when the air gets heated and the blood does too.

But this June? The leaked copy of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade should freeze the blood of every queer in the land, as well as any supporter of a woman’s right to make the most fundamental choices in her life.

But some mainstream queer rights organizations like HRC don’t quite get it, and they should. I mean, the four-alarm-fire claxon is clanging here, people!

“If Roe is overturned, there is no immediate impact on any other case decided by the Supreme Court including Lawrence and Obergefell,” HRC said in a statement. “But it encourages state lawmakers pandering to the base to test the limits of court recognized LGBTQ+ equality.”

The Supreme Court

PUBLIC DOMAIN PHOTO

Justice Alito’s and Justice Thomas’ hit list.”

John Lewis and Stuart Gaffney, co-founders of Marriage Equality USA, get it: “At stake in both [reproductive and LGBTQ] movements are individuals’ fundamental freedoms to control their own bodies and to decide for themselves the paths their lives will take,” they wrote for HuffPost in 2016.

“LGBT people should care about women’s right to safe and legal abortion not only because it’s the right thing to do but because our two movements depend on each other.”

Valerie Ploumpis, National Policy Director for Equality California gets it and nicely summarizes the Right to Privacy cases: “The fight for reproductive freedom is inextricably linked to the fight for LGBTQ rights,” she wrote for The Hill in 2019. “We rely on the same constitutional protections — the fundamental ‘right to privacy’ guaranteed by the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment … [and] cited in the landmark abortion rights decision in Roe v. Wade, this constitutional right has been reaffirmed in every major Supreme Court ruling on both reproductive freedom and LGBTQ equality — including the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey ruling affirming the right to obtain an abortion, the 2003 Lawrence v. Texas ruling striking down so-called “sodomy bans” and the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges ruling guaranteeing marriage equality nationwide.”

Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, gets it: “The concern for us is what’s next with this right-wing Supreme Court,” she told HuffPost. “I can tell you Obergefell is on

Hell, award-winning journalists like Jennifer Bendery and Igor Bobic get it: “Conservative Justice Samuel Alito, who authored the draft opinion, also specifically

New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez gets it: “As we’ve warned, SCOTUS isn’t just coming for abortion — they’re coming for the right to privacy Roe rests on, which includes gay marriage + civil rights,” she tweeted last month.

22 COLUMNIST JUNE 3, 2022

criticizes the landmark civil rights cases that legalized marriage equality, Obergefell v.

Hodges, and that legalized private consensual sex, Lawrence v. Texas,” they wrote for HuffPost.

I get it. For reference, Bowers v. Hardwick (1986) was the Georgia case where Michael Hardwick, in the privacy of his own Midtown home, had sex with another man. Thus, the commission of the crime of sodomy — a felony! — for which Mr. Hardwick was duly convicted. We marched in protest at the Capitol and the Department of Law downtown. One float featured a large brass bed with the effigy of an orally copulating couple atop it.

But when the Supremes upheld Hardwick’s conviction, it rendered any same-sex coupling anywhere potentially illegal. Yet isn’t the decision about how to make love and with whom among the most personal and private you can make?

When Bowers was upheld, we organized the “Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights” (we’ve expanded the definition of queer as time went on and

consciousness has evolved).

I’m extremely proud to have protested the Hardwick decision by being civilly disobedient, and arrested for it, on the steps of the Supreme Court during that march.

Fortunately, I did not have to travel to D.C. again and have another arrest on my record with Lawrence v. Texas. Here was another instance of two men having consensual sex in private. This time, the statute violated was a misdemeanor.

Hooray! The Supremes overturned Hardwick, saying intimate sexual conduct is part of the liberties protected under the 14th Amendment, and all the rabid religious frothings spewed in the Bowers decision were null and void.

But the frothings are back. And when Roe v. Wade falls, our house falls down, too. It will soon be cold, very cold. We have to heat things up by organizing our asses off.

It matters who gets elected. It matters what state amendments will be pushed. It matters.

We have to get it.

THEGEORGIAVOICE.COM

THEGEORGIAVOICE.COM

JUNE 3, 2022 ADS 23

ACTING OUT JIM FARMER

Transgender Performer Lucia Lucas Headlines Atlanta Opera’s ‘As One’ Jim Farmer As part of its Come as You Are Festival, the Atlanta Opera is presenting two exciting new works likely to be embraced by the LGBTQ community: “Cabaret” and the transgender themed “As One.” This version of “Cabaret” is adapted from the 1998 Broadway revival. It ran for more than 2,377 performances at Studio 54 in New York.

“As One,” on the other hand, had its world premiere in 2014 and is making its local debut with the Atlanta Opera. Composed by Laura Kaminsky with a libretto by Mark Campbell and transgender filmmaker Kimberly Reed, it’s the story of Hannah, a transgender woman discovering her true identity.

Transgender baritone Lucia Lucas stars and sings the role of Hannah Before in the production. “’As One’ is a project I have known about since before the world premiere in 2014,” Lucas told Georgia Voice. “I read the libretto before

the first performance. I wasn’t asked to do it until Atlanta. They were the first to ask me. It’s a piece I had interest in — there is not a ton of trans opera singers at all, and I don’t know how many of them have performed this piece. The majority of people who performed it were cis.”

As Lucas began learning the peace, the beauty of the work became apparent.

“There are some things that are the same; there is a base emotion to every scene,” she said. “Even for people who are not trans, even outside of the LGBTQ community, I think everyone can identify with somebody else’s expectations and not being able to live up to them, feeling frustration or pain, thinking everything will be okay if you can make someone else happy.”

According to Lucas, the character of Hannah is probably a generation or so older than she is. The opera goes through the character’s life chronologically. As Hannah is doing a paper route at the age of 12, she finds a blouse hanging on a clothesline.

“There is freedom on the bike, but sometimes she gets up extra early and puts this blouse

Atlanta Opera’s production of ‘As One’ PHOTOS BY TERRY GILLIAM on underneath her jacket and that gives her comfort,” she said. “She doesn’t know why, but it feels right. She also tucks a sock in the blouse, and it feels like she is brushing a breast as she does her newspaper. It’s a wish that she could participate in this feminine puberty.”

Junior high school was a difficult time for Lucas, as she felt her body was developing in a different way than her brain was. She had to figure out what the word “transgender” meant, which involved going to the library and doing research. Eventually, she figured out she was not alone.

She is a huge fan of librettist Reed and her film, “Prodigal Sons,” which chronicled the filmmaker’s coming-out process. Lucas does see a parallel between “As One” and that documentary.

After her own transition, Lucas was nervous about her career. She realized afterward that she had made the right decision.

Blythe Gaissert as Hannah After and Michael Kelly as Hannah Before.

24 COLUMNIST JUNE 3, 2022

“I knew there were no trans opera singers,” she said. “There were some trans instrumentalists. I knew when I came out, if people had problems

with people in the pits or behind the scenes, someone on the stage would be even more of a thing. By coming out I was ready to give up my career. But I said, ‘I am going to fight for this — I am not going to roll over.’ Even supportive people didn’t have in their brain that this could work. Now I am not the only trans opera singer professionally. There are a handful of trans singers full time and plenty more in training programs or schools.”

Lucas was the first trans woman to sing a lead role in an American opera in 2019, taking on the role of “Don Giovanni” with the Tulsa Opera. Lucas’ performance in that work was featured in the documentary film, “The Sound of Identity,” by Georgia native James Kicklighter. The film will screen on June 13 with a Q&A to follow with Lucas and Kicklighter.

MORE INFO “Cabaret” runs June 5, 10, 12, 16, 17, and 19 at Pullman Yards “As One” runs June 9 and 11 at Pullman Yards “The Sound of Identity” screens June 13 at Out Front Theatre Company

THEGEORGIAVOICE.COM

THEGEORGIAVOICE.COM

JUNE 3, 2022 ADS 25

ACTING OUT JIM FARMER

Director Andrew Ahn Relishes All Gay Cast of New Comedy, ‘Fire Island’ Jim Farmer

MORE INFO “Fire Island” streams on Hulu beginning June 3.

A year into the COVID pandemic, out director Andrew Ahn received the script for Joel Kim Booster’s “Fire Island” and knew almost immediately he needed to make it.

I was looking for actors who understood the uniqueness of the project and why it was special, and I was looking for people with really good hearts. I want audiences to fall in love with them.”

“It was a lonely time for me — I had not seen my friends for a long time and I wasn’t able to go out dancing and drinking and be able to spend time with them,” he told Georgia Voice. “I saw in his screenplay everything I was missing in my life, and so I really wanted to be part of it. I love how it talks about this queer Asian American relationship and celebrates chosen family and queer joy. That for me felt really meaningful to help bring to culture.”

“Fire Island” is a romantic comedy about best friends Noah (Booster) and Howie (Bowen Yang), who head to the New York gay mecca for a summer vacation with their friends.

Their annual tradition is staying at the home of Erin (Margaret Cho), a lesbian who has bonded with the group over the years. Noah

Getting to chat with Miller and Tomas Matos and then meeting Margaret Cho, who he had never met, Ahn could tell they were right for the project.

“I knew they would create a family together organically,” he said. “I really love the central family in the movie.”

It was also very special to be able to direct a film with an all-queer cast.

The cast of Hulu’s “Fire Island” PUBLICITY PHOTOS makes it his mission to make sure Howie has a week full of romance and fun, but both men find prospective romantic partners.

Booster’s script very cleverly parallels Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice,” and the cast

also includes Conrad Ricamora of “How to Get Away With Murder.”

Ahn and one of the stars of the film, Torian Miller, who plays Max, were in Atlanta recently to screen and promote the film.

Some of the cast members were already friends before the film, such as Booster and Yang, and Matt Rogers is a good friend of theirs as well. Others were new, and Ahn wanted to make sure the core group felt authentic.

Director Andrew Ahn

26 COLUMNIST JUNE 3, 2022

“I love being able to bring their authentic friendship to screen. It feels so lived in; there is a history and comfort around each other,” he said. “They are so vulnerable together in their scenes together. I wanted to find that sense of familiarity even for those who had not known or worked together before.

“For me, I know how talented this community is, and I wanted to give queer actors the chance to show themselves off and become the stars they deserve to be,” Ahn said.

“I wanted to cast queer actors for these roles.

I knew production was going to Fire Island and I wanted to go with a bunch of gay people. We set out to find the best actors and I am so glad we can show off the diversity of the gay community. In the script only Joel and Bowen’s characters had their ethnicity specified. We wanted to find a cast that was reflective of the community. We saw hundreds of tapes and for me it was exciting that we got a group that is talented and got along and could give you the sense of chosen family.”

Ahn, known for his 2016 Sundance hit, “Spa Night,” also directed an episode of last season’s “Pride” LGBTQ-themed series. He also worked on HBO Max’s “Generation.”

THEGEORGIAVOICE.COM

THEGEORGIAVOICE.COM

JUNE 3, 2022 ADS 27

BEST BETS THE BEST LGBTQ EVENTS HAPPENING IN JUNE Jim Farmer

FRIDAY, JUNE 3

Charis Books and More welcomes authors Sonora Reyes and R/B Mertz for a conversation moderated by Charis Circle Executive Director, E.R. Anderson, in celebration of Reyes’ novel, “The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School” and Mertz’s memoir, “Burning Butch.” This event is cohosted by the Atlanta Pride Committee. “The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School” is a sharply funny and moving debut novel about a queer Mexican American girl navigating Catholic school, while falling in love and learning to celebrate her true self. Sixteen-year-old Yamilet Flores prefers to be known for her killer eyeliner, not for being one of the only Mexican kids at her new, mostly white, very rich Catholic school. But at least here no one knows she’s gay, and Yami intends to keep it that way. When divorce moves young R/B Mertz away from rural Pennsylvania and their abusive father, Mertz’s life is torn in two in “Burning Butch.” 7:30pm.

SATURDAY, JUNE 4

Best End Brewing Co. is hosting a celebration for all to share their pride and unity today.

The festivities will feature live music, discounts, a late-night ball, and much more. It is free to attend, until 10:30pm when the ticketed Which Bridgerton Are You? Ball begins.

SUNDAY, JUNE 5

Out On Film kicks off a month full of LGBTQ film programming with a free series of Local Shorts. 5pm. Out Front Theatre Company Positive Impact Health Centers in partnership with Atlanta-based AIDS service organizations will be honoring and celebrating the lives of HIV long-term survivors today at 5pm at Piedmont Park’s Greystone Building.

This is a free event with free parking. Proof of COVID vaccination will be required at the door.

Registration is also required. Register at https://bit.ly/3wASthK.

MONDAY, JUNE 6

EVENT SPOTLIGHT FRIDAY, JUNE 10

The LGBTQ-themed “Bootycandy” is in its final weekend. Join Sutter as he propels through a kaleidoscopic odyssey through his childhood home, church, dive bars, seedy motels — and one riotously funny phone conversation about very inappropriate baby names. One of the most acclaimed satirical comedies in decades, “Bootycandy” is an audacious series of subversive vignettes that explore what it means to grow up gay and black in America. 8pm, through June 12, Actor’s Express (Publicity photo) and transmission of gender identity in a patriarchal environment. 7pm, Landmark Midtown Art Cinema, preceded by a 6pm reception at Apres Diem.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15

HotMess is kicking off a new season of kickball.

6:30pm, Phoenix Park II Enjoy Dinner at the Colonnade with Atlanta Prime Timers today at 5:45pm on every third Wednesday of the month.

THURSDAY, JUNE 16 – SUNDAY, 19

Trans and Friends is a youth-focused group for trans people, people questioning their own gender and aspiring allies, providing a facilitated space to discuss gender, relevant resources and activism around social issues.

7 – 8pm for youth and 8 – 9pm for adults, Charis Books and More

Southeast LeatherFest Atlanta, celebrating its 25th anniversary, will be in person for the first time since 2019 with its usual heavy slate of workshops, panels, womxn gatherings and much more. A full schedule is available at seleatherfest.com.

TUESDAY, JUNE 14

Atlanta Freedom Bands will present “Hear Us Roar!” a concert showcasing the music of women composers. The concert celebrates the centennial of women’s suffrage following the passage of the 19th amendment to the constitution in 1920. The selections are inspiring,

The Consulate General of Switzerland in Atlanta and Out On Film present the Georgia premiere of “Madame,” about a flamboyant 90-year-old grandmother and her filmmaker grandson Stéphane explore the development

28 BEST BETS CALENDAR JUNE 3, 2022

SATURDAY, JUNE 18

jazzy, soul-stirring, and just plain fun. In addition to the music, the audience will experience a pre-concert presentation from Staci Catron, the Cherokee Garden Library Director of the Atlanta History Center. She will speak about women who made their mark on the landscape and architecture of Georgia along with some history of Georgia women in the suffrage movement.

7pm, Church at Ponce & Highland

SUNDAY, JUNE 19

The PFLAG support group for parents and families of LGBTQ children meets in person. 2:30 – 4pm, Spiritual Living Center

THURSDAY, JUNE 23 – SUNDAY, JUNE 26

The Southern Fried Queer Pride 2022 Festival and celebrating eight years of queering Atlanta and the South through the arts and community. The festival will include a Pit Peach pageant, a queer dance party, a queer variety show and more. Eyedrum Gallery.

FRIDAY, JUNE 24 AND SATURDAY, JUNE 25

School’s in session, so put on your combat boots and tag a friend. The Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus is proud to present the world premiere

of Julian Hornik’s “@QueerZ,” a new choral theatre work musing on the joys and challenges unique to Gen Z. Ranging from the power of texting to the prevalence of school shootings, the songs explore what matters to a generation that came of age in a time of relative acceptance and support. It is a coming-of-age story of first kisses, family acceptance and betrayal, and ultimately self-acceptance and pride. 8pm, Ferst Center for the Performing Arts on the Georgia Tech Campus

SATURDAY, JUNE 25 – SUNDAY, JUNE 26

The Black Parent Pride Summit features poignant talks, accessible resources & intentional community with Black queer folx who understand the intersections of the parenting journey.

Switchyards Downtown Club

SATURDAY, JUNE 25

The new late-night event Gear After Dark debuts tonight, featuring Bootblack services by Tali. 9pm, Midtown Moon

TUESDAY, JUNE 28

The Gayly Dose will be live tonight at 7:30pm for a special Celebration of Pride.

Guac Y Margys

THEGEORGIAVOICE.COM

THEGEORGIAVOICE.COM

JUNE 3, 2022 ADS 29

THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID MELISSA CARTER

THE HYPOCRISY OF GUNS Melissa Carter I have been with someone who has gone to get an abortion. It’s not as easy as walking in a door and immediately getting it over with, as some would have you think.

If you are unfamiliar with the protocols, there is a mandatory 48-hour waiting period. If you are underage, you are required to have parental permission for the procedure. A note is required from a doctor proving she understands what she’s about to do. The woman also has to watch a video in the clinic for a further understanding of her actions before the procedure can begin.

There is a limited number of clinics for such a procedure, so some women have to take off work and travel long distances, which can require the extra expense of a hotel stay. They may even have to walk through a crowd of protesters calling them names and showing gruesome photos before getting in the door.

What are the protocols for buying a gun, even a semi-automatic rifle? It is as easy as walking in a door and immediately getting it over with.

It’s the hypocrisy that disturbs me the most.

Not just hypocrisy, but knowing you’re being a hypocrite and continuing with that behavior. The debates over Roe v. Wade, gun availability and even police brutality alongside police ineptitude — depending on who is the culprit — have brought this nation to its lowest point in my lifetime.

“Protection” is a word that conservatives sling around a lot. Children should be protected from having to wear masks to school. Children should be protected from learning about LGBTQ topics. Children should be protected from learning about racism. Children should be protected from learning about other issues in history that might be uncomfortable for the parents.

30 COLUMNIST JUNE 3, 2022

PHOTO BY SHUTTERSTOCK.COM / BEN VON KLEMPERER

And yet, these same people have kept their mouths shut about really protecting children from being slain while at school.

What’s the point in forcing women who want an abortion to give birth to a child, only to watch that child die at the end of an assault rifle? Seems the hypocrites can’t answer that question.

People who want big guns should have to wait at least 48 hours to purchase them. If you are under 21, which is the legal age for purchasing alcohol, these people should need to get their parents’ permission. They should be required to explain why they want to purchase said weapon and what its purpose would be. They should also have to watch a video, showing the ill effects of weapon use in graphic detail, in order for them to understand the incredible responsibility of owning one. They should have to walk past protesters, calling them murderers, before buying it. And no private citizen should be able to own an assault rifle.

We will move on from all of these horrific events without any change to the law. There were at least eight mass shootings just in the weekend following the tragedy in Uvalde, Texas. And by the time you read this, there will be countless more.

There are four stages of abuse in a relationship: the building of tension, the abuse incident, the reconciliation, and a period of calm. I’ve come to realize my relationship with my country fits this pattern.

THEGEORGIAVOICE.COM

THEGEORGIAVOICE.COM

JUNE 3, 2022 ADS 31