The Georgia Voice - 6/6/14, Vol. 5, Issue 7

EDITORIAL

Editor: Dyana Bagby dbagby@thegavoice.com

IN THIS ISSUE OF GA VOICE

06.06.14

THE GEORGIA VOICE

PO Box 77401 | Atlanta, GA 30357 404-815-6941 | www.thegavoice.com

Deputy Editor: Patrick Saunders psaunders@thegavoice.com

NEWS 6 | Truvada is making its mark as the closest thing to an HIV vaccine 7 | HIV/AIDS drug timeline and statistics, community leaders weigh in 12 | Fired gay Georgia band director likely has no legal recourse

Art Director: Rob Boeger rboeger@thegavoice.com

CONTRIBUTORS

Jim Farmer, Vandy Beth Glenn, Shannon Hames, Ryan Lee, Tina Tian, Steve Warren

BUSINESS

COMMUNITY

Publisher: Tim Boyd tboyd@thegavoice.com

14 | Atlanta Pride celebrates Stonewall Month with series of events 16 | Top 13 reasons why you should go to this year’s East Point Possums Show 17 | Deconstructing binaries, religion and sexuality discussed during Stonewall Month 19 | Catching Up ... with Cheryl Summerville, fired from Cracker Barrel for being gay

Managing Partner: Christina Cash ccash@thegavoice.com Sales Manager: Marshall Graham mgraham@thegavoice.com Sales Executive: Anne Clarke aclarke@thegavoice.com

16 | We've got 13 reasons why you should attend this year's East Point Possums Show.

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

In loving memory of Mike Ritter, 1965-2014

OUTSPOKEN

Photo via Facebook

National Advertising: Rivendell Media, 908-232-2021 sales@rivendellmedia.com

A&E

FRIENDS & FOES IN THEIR OWN WORDS

FINE PRINT

Join us online: facebook.com/thegavoice twitter.com/thegavoice

“I did not think this would ever come.”

“In that moment, I said a disgusting word that does not reflect how I feel about any group of people.”

—Jim Darby, one of the lead plaintiffs in Illinois’ marriage equality lawsuit

—Actor Jonah Hill, who used a gay slur against a paparazzo, apologizing on The Howard Stern Show (Entertainment Weekly, June 3)

COLUMNISTS 30 | That’s What She Said: Melissa Carter on mainstream churches bullying LGBT community 31 | Sometimes ‘Y’: Ryan Lee on how ‘religious liberty’ is being recycled to fight LGBT rights

along with his partner Patrick Bova, on marriage equality coming to the state (Huffington Post, June 1)

Photo via Facebook

All material in the Georgia Voice is protected by federal copyright law and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the 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 the 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 the Georgia Voice is available from authorized distribution points. Multiple copies are available from the Georgia Voice office only. Call for rates. If you are unable to reach a convenient free distribution point, you may receive a 26-issue mailed subscription for $60 per year.

Checks or credit card orders can be sent to Tim Boyd, tboyd@ thegavoice.com Postmaster: Send address changes to the Georgia Voice, PO Box 77401, Atlanta, GA 30357. The Georgia Voice is published every other Friday by The Georgia Voice, LLC. Individual subscriptions are $60 per year for 26 issues. Postage paid at Atlanta, GA, and additional mailing offices.

The editorial positions of the 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 the 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.

21 | Film: High-flying love in the Navy in ‘Burning Blue’ 22 | Theater: ‘Wonderful Wizard of Oz’ comes to life at Serenbe 24 | Food: New Middle Eastern, pizza eateries to tempt taste buds 25 | Outside the Box: Kicking off summer in Savannah 26-29 | Calendar

“My name is Ryland Michael Whittington. I’m a transgendered kid. I am six.

I’m a cool kid.”

—Ryland Whittington, from a YouTube video his parents made which told his story and showed their acceptance of his being trans (Queerty, May 30)

Most people report some nausea at he beginning of treatment. This usually goes away. Again, your health provider will help you.

PrEP can reduce your risk of contracting HIV

Truvada has been shown to be extremely helpful in reducing the risk of getting HIV, but only in people who took it every single day. You cannot miss a dose! It is a commitment to prevention that you have to be ready to make.

How can you get PrEP?

What is PrEP?

Who takes PrEP?

PrEP stands for Pre Exposure Prophylaxis.

You are a candidate for PrEP if you are HIV negative. Are you HIV negative? Are you sure? Pride Medical can test you for free and anonymously. Once your provider knows you are negative, they may consider you for PrEP if you meet one or more of the following conditions:

Recently, the HIV drug, “Truvada,” was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for once-a-day dosing for HIV negative males to take to keep from becoming HIV positive.

Before that, you could get Truvada prescribed for PEP (Post Exposure Prophylaxis) after sexual contact with an HIV positive person. Truvada for PEP is still an available option.

• Repeatedly having unprotected sex.

PrEP is part of an overall HIV prevention strategy. It only works against HIV — it does not work on other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) — so it is not a substitute for condoms, and you have to take it every single day.

• Having sex when partying (including drinking alcohol).

Participating in PrEP is a serious decision that you make with your health provider.

Find a healthcare provider who you can talk to frankly about your habits and come to a decision if PrEP is right for you.

• Having sex with guys you know are positive or with unknown status.

• Using IV drugs.

• Having sex in exchange for money, drugs, or a place to stay.

Risks and Benefits: Truvada can cause kidney problems as well as other complications. Your health provider will monitor you for these problems should you decide to take PrEP.

PrEP’s prescribed by a health care provider (doctor, nurse practitioner or physician assistant).

Insurance is paying for the medication, but you may be responsible for a copayment or deductible. If you do not have insurance, there are some programs that can help you get the medication, but you still need a prescription.

Your doctor will want to test you regularly for side effects, HIV and STDs to make sure it is working — and you should want to have these tests done also.

Bottom line PrEP is a treatment protocol that involves the prescribed HIV drug “Truvada” by a health provider to prevent you from getting HIV. It is part of an overall HIV prevention strategy. You will need to be monitored for side effects and tested for HIV if you decide to take it. You need a prescription and most insurance plans are paying for it.

PrEP is available at Pride Medical and Pride Medical has an in-house pharmacy for your convenience. Contact Pride Medical at 404-355-3788 or online at www.pridemedical.com.

Also, Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) is available at Pride Medical. Call to inquire.

Advertorial feature sponsored by Pride Medical, Inc.

David Morris, MD is the Medical Director at Pride Medical, Inc.

Jose Quilles, RN is a registered nurse at Pride Medical, Inc.

GA VOICE

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NEWS

06.06.14

www.theGAVoice.com

It’s time for Truvada A blue pill is making its mark on history as closest thing to an HIV vaccine

WHO IS A PROPER CANDIDATE FOR TRUVADA?

By DYANA BAGBY dbagby@thegavoice.com

T

ake a pill once a day and you essentially reduce your risk of contracting HIV by almost 99 percent— sounds like this would be an easy idea to back by activists and physicians who want to stop the 50,000 new HIV infections each year just in the U.S. But the story of Truvada, the blue pill manufactured by Gilead Sciences, is just not that simple.

Renowned HIV/AIDS activist Michael Weinstein of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation has called Truvada a “party drug” while Larry Kramer, whose play ‘The Normal Heart’ was just adapted for TV by HBO, says people who want to pop a pill once a day instead of use condoms must have “rocks in their heads.”

Last month, however, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released guidelines for providers on the use of PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, that includes Truvada as an HIV prevention tool along with other safer-sex practices, including condom use.

“While a vaccine or cure may one day end the HIV epidemic, PrEP is a powerful tool that has the potential to alter the course of the U.S. HIV epidemic today,” said Jonathan Mermin, director of CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, in a statement.

“These guidelines represent an important step toward fully realizing the promise of PrEP. We should add to this momentum, working to ensure that PrEP is used by the right people, in the right way, in the right circumstances.”

COST OF TRUVADA Truvada costs approximately $13,000 a year. There are health insurance companies that will cover the drug and Gilead Sciences also offers a medicine assistance program. Call 855-330-5479.

Must be HIV negative and able to follow a daily regimen and see their primary care doctor every three months. n Anyone who is in an ongoing sexual relationship with an HIV-infected partner. n A gay or bisexual man who has had sex without a condom or has been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection within the past six months, and is not in a mutually monogamous relationship with a partner who recently tested HIV-negative. n A person who uses condoms rarely or not at all when having sex with partners known to be at high risk for HIV (for example, injecting drug users or gay or bisexual men whose status is unknown), and is not in a mutuallymonogamous relationship with a partner who recently tested HIV-negative. n Anyone who has, within the past six months, injected illicit drugs and shared equipment or been in a treatment program for injection drug use. n

63 PERCENT

of males with new HIV infections in GA in 2012 were men who have sex with men

27,313 PEOPLE in Atlanta/Sandy Springs/Marietta area living with HIV

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Georgia Department of Public Health

DRUG HISTORY Truvada has been marketed by Gilead Sciences since 2004 as a drug to help in the treatment of those who are HIV positive. In 2012, the FDA approved Truvada as the first drug shown to reduce HIV infection rates—a major milestone in the fight to end the 30year HIV epidemic.

The FDA approval two years ago came after the groundbreaking 2010 study, known as iPrEx, which showed that when people—gay and bisexual men, heterosexual men and

women and transgender women—took Truvada daily and consistently, they reduced their risk of contracting HIV by 99 percent.

Yet no one has been shouting the news from the rooftops in Georgia, which ranks sixth in the nation for new HIV infections, according to the CDC. Until now.

At a recent town hall meeting hosted

by Team Friendly Atlanta, an organization working to reduce HIV stigma, panelists discussed the need to educate the public about

Truvada and dispel misinformation as well as stigma surrounding the drug.

The notion that gay men on Truvada will begin participating in risky behaviors—or become “Truvada whores”—hasn’t played out in research, said Dale Maddox, a clinical research nurse at Emory University School of Medicine AIDS Clinical Trials Unit.

When people are on PrEP they see their doctors more often, they are getting constant care and they are clearly reducing their risk of contracting HIV, she explained.

The scare tactics that condoms are the only safe way for gay men to have sex can be compared to the controversy when the birth control pill was approved in the 1960s, Maddox said. Moralists decried “the pill” as a gateway to untamed promiscuity by single women, and judgment was harsh. But none of the apocalyptic predictions of society’s downfall made back then came to be.

Today, moralists cannot denounce Truvada, a proven effective tool to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS, because it only hurts all of society, Maddox added.

“This is non-judgmental. This is a harm reduction technique,” she said. “It gives control to the user.”

NEWS

www.theGAVoice.com

From AZT to Truvada From the promise of a vaccine 30 years ago to drug cocktails, the road to an HIV free world is dotted with many milestones and missteps.

April 23, 1984

Margaret Heckler, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services expresses hope that an AIDS vaccine will be produced within two years.

March 19, 1987

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves the first antiretroviral drug, zidovudine, more commonly known as AZT. Congress approves $30 million in funding to states for AZT.

1992

Combination drug therapies for HIV begin being introduced. These cocktails prove to be more effective than AZT alone in slowing the development of drug resistance.

June 1995

The FDA approves the first protease inhibitor, Saquinavir (SQV). This ushers in an era of highly active antiretroviral therapy, or HAART.

‘Jarring’ stats on HIV rates among young black gay Atlanta men A recent Emory School of Public Health’s InvolveMENt Study shows that an astounding 12 percent of young black gay men in Atlanta are contracting HIV annually. This means an 18-yearold sexually active black gay man has a 60 percent chance of contracting HIV by the time he is 30.

The Emory study followed 260 black and 302 white HIV-negative men for up to two years with 79 percent of the original participants remaining in the study through the follow-up. n

The black men were 3.8 times more likely than the white men to become HIV positive. Regardless the race of the man becoming infected, those who had black sexual partners were 4.5 times more likely contract HIV than those who did not. n

Unprotected sex raised the risk of becoming HIV positive by a factor of 4.8. Those who had partners at least a decade older were 2.8 times as likely to contract the virus. n

“Sexual networks” where African-American men have sex with other black men are believed to be the strongest factor in contributing to the higher rates of infection. n

Lack of health insurance also contributed to increased risk. n

1997

HAART becomes the new standard of HIV care. Due to the use of HAART, AIDS-related deaths in the US decline by 47 percent compared with the previous year.

Sept. 26, 1997

Jeff Graham

2004

On HIV among gay men: “I think we need to put pressure, frankly, back on LGBT organizations to reclaim HIV. For 20 years we have been very intentional about pointing out HIV did not equal gay. There were really good, solid, important reasons we did that. But then what got lost is that we began to believe HIV didn’t have anything to do with the LGBT community and politics.”

The FDA approves Combivir, which combines two antiretroviral drugs in one tablet, making it easier for people living with HIV to take their medications.

The FDA approves Truvada, a fixed-dose combination of two antiretroviral drugs used to treat HIV.

Oct. 6, 2009

The FDA, in association with the PEPFAR program, approves the 100th antiretroviral drug.

2010

The National Institutes of Health announce the results of the iPrEx study, showing that a daily dose of HIV drugs reduces the risk of HIV infection among HIV-negative men who have sex with men by 44%, supporting the concept of pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP.

July 2011

Scientists announce that two studies have confirmed that people taking daily antiretroviral drugs experience infection rates more than 60 percent lower than those on a placebo.

July 16, 2012

The FDA approves Truvada for prophylactic use to fight the possibility of HIV infection.

May 14, 2014

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention publicly recommend physicians consider Truvada to prevent infection for high-risk, HIV-negative patients.

— Source: AIDS.gov

Executive director of Georgia Equality

78 PERCENT

of those diagnosed with HIV infection in Georgia during 2012 were male

63 PERCENT

of males with new HIV infections in Georgia in 2012 were men who have sex with men

55 PERCENT

of new diagnoses of HIV infection in Georgia during 2012 were black/non-Hispanic Source: Georgia Department of Public Health

06.06.14

GA VOICE

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Craig Washington

Longtime Atlanta HIV/AIDS activist and Prevention Program Manager at AID Atlanta

On the rates of HIV infections among young black gay men: “The results the InvolveMENt Study are jarring. For some of us who are veterans [in HIV/AIDS activism], this is not surprising. We know that young black gay men need an array of tools to protect themselves [including PrEP]. They have a right to that and we have to educate them. How we can use history as a segue to people’s current realities. It’s certainly true for young black gay men, that they are interested in having these conversations—but as it relates to their realities.

On PrEP and Truvada: “This is also about a human right. There is a lot of talk of HIV fatigue and what that suggests is we need to have conversations differently.

Whether it’s through Twitter chats, film, music, and social media. I’m happy the CDC demonstrated that level of leadership [in issuing guidelines for Truvada]. We may discover a more effective PrEP than Truvada but it holds its place as first verifiable HIV prevention drug. This is a historical benchmark in our work of HIV prevention.

On sex and pleasure: “Regardless of what people do they have a right to an effective tool to protect themselves. We need to consider pleasure itself. It’s only gay men, queer men, upon who we impose this sentence with condoms, that sex is synonymous with condoms.

We should promote the use of condoms but not to the point of holding them hostage. People who don’t like using condoms still have a right to reduce their risk and PrEP can be a tool and I think we need to own it. There is clearly a need for education and increased advocacy, particularly the LGBTQ community to make sure our community is informed this is another tool in the box.”

Dylan West

Member of Team Friendly Atlanta who has been on Truvada for nearly two years On Truvada stigma: “I am very public about my use of PrEP. When I was on the [mobile] apps all my profiles blatantly said it. One thing I did notice on multiple occasions when it was mentioned I was on PrEP the conversation switched from I practice safe sex to, ‘We don’t need condoms.’ And I’m, ‘No, that’s not how it works.’ And they say, ‘But I’m on PrEP, too. We don’t need to practice safer sex. It’s not a big deal.’ And that’s just not how it works. There has been a large amount of stigma as far as the non-LGBT community and every now and then there’s that, ‘Oh, so you have HIV’ or ‘you’ve been exposed to HIV’ and I have to explain difference between PrEP and PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis, taking anti-HIV drugs as soon as possible after being exposed to HIV).”

Dr. Colleen Kelley Emory School of Medicine

On PrEP: “I think for me it’s incredibly simple. There is an effective prevention method and people should be able to use it.

Period. We have heard the hope and promise of PrEP. It’s going to evolve and there are things coming down the pipeline. We have to be ready to pounce when those things are ready for us.”

GA VOICE | 12

NEWS

06.06.14

www.theGAVoice.com

Experts: Gay Ga. band director who was fired likely has no legal recourse Flint Dollar faces uphill battle due to provisions in contract

2010

Flint Dollar is interviewed for a job at Mount de Sales Academy, where he discloses that he is gay. Dollar is hired shortly thereafter as band director and music teacher.

Late 2013

By PATRICK SAUNDERS psaunders@thegavoice.com In the uproar that followed the move by Mount de Sales Academy, a Catholic prep school in Macon, to fire gay band director and music teacher Flint Dollar last month due to his plans to marry his partner, one word flew around more than any other in subsequent comment sections and conversations—“lawsuit.”

The talk about Dollar filing suit against the school picked up even more after the GA Voice revealed in an interview with Dollar that the school had signed him to a new contract on May 1—just weeks before his May 21 firing.

But there are several factors working against Dollar in this case, none bigger than the fact that Mount de Sales is a private religious school.

The GA Voice obtained a copy of Dollar’s contract and had several employment attorneys with expertise in LGBT issues review it along with the details of his dismissal to see if there is any legal recourse.

SCHOOL’S RIGHT TO FIRE ‘AT WILL’

Gregory Nevins, senior attorney with Lambda Legal, says Dollar could have a sex discrimination claim under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin.

“Presumably, female employees of the

STORY DEVELOPMENTS

Three members of the Mount de Sales Academy board of trustees resigned in the wake of the school’s firing of Dollar n Dollar was among nine fired Catholic gay and gay-friendly school teachers who signed a letter sent May 27 requesting a meeting with Pope Francis to talk about what happened to them n The “Save Flint Dollar” Facebook page has more than 2,500 likes n The “Reconsider the termination of Mr. Flint Dollar” petition on Change.org has more than 3,700 supporters n Dollar is asking supporters that in lieu of wedding gifts for him and his partner that they donate money to the Mount de Sales band for new uniforms n Dollar’s wedding is scheduled for July 12 in Minneapolis n

Dollar informs the administration that he is planning on marrying his partner the following July.

May 1, 2014

The school renews Dollar’s contract for another year.

May 21, 2014 Flint Dollar, 32, said he is exploring legal options regarding his May 21 firing from Mount de Sales Academy due to his sexual orientation. (Photo by A-1 Photography)

school have married men and not been fired, so his firing is because of his male gender,” Nevins tells the GA Voice.

Nevins referenced TerVeer v. Billington, which was a unique federal court ruling in that it said Title VII could be used to protect gay people from employment discrimination. Lambda Legal filed a brief in support of TerVeer’s claim last April, and the ruling, which allows the case to move forward, came down in his favor this past March.

Alex Reed, an assistant law professor at the University of Georgia, does not see a basis for a breach of contract lawsuit for Dollar.

He references a section of Dollar’s contract that lists “immorality” as a cause that the school can dismiss him for, and the school could conceivably argue that his sexual orientation is as an example of such a breach.

Reed also cites a provision in the contract under “Duties and Responsibilities” which states that Dollar agreed “to support and carry out the philosophy of the School and to abide by its rules and policies as set forth in the Faculty and Student Handbooks in effect during the term of contract.”

In other words, if the philosophy of the school is to abide by the Catholic Church’s teachings, then they could try to make the case that Dollar’s sexual orientation did not follow those teachings.

Reed did leave the door open for Dollar to make what’s called an estoppel argument.

“Estoppel is a legal doctrine that prevents someone from asserting a claim or right that contradicts what they have said or done in the past, i.e., the school’s indicating to Mr. Dollar that it did not have an issue with his homosexuality or with the fact that he was planning to marry his partner and then os-

School President David Held calls Dollar into his office on the final day of school and fires him, citing his impending marriage as the sole reason for the dismissal.

tensibly changing its mind and deciding that it did take issue with Mr. Dollar’s homosexuality and marriage plans,” Reed explains.

However, Reed says a “Waiver of Breach” section of the contract would preclude such an argument.

Jay Rollins, a partner at the employment law firm Schwartz Rollins, says the contract Dollar signed allows the school to fire him “at will.”

“Even though it then goes on to state certain circumstances that would constitute cause, that list is not all inclusive,” Rollins tells the GA Voice. “Ultimately, the school reserves to itself the right to fire ‘at will’ without notice. Mr. Dollar would have a very weak contract claim.”

EQUAL PROTECTION WORKING BOTH WAYS

In a cruel twist, the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution—which was in large part the basis of the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Prop 8 and a major portion of the Defense of Marriage Act last June— provides Mount de Sales protection to fire Dollar for his sexual orientation because it is a private religious school.

And what if there were a state or federal employment non-discrimination law in place that covered sexual orientation?

As Georgia Equality Executive Director Jeff Graham pointed out in a previous GA Voice article, and with which Reed concurs, the school would still be within their rights to fire Dollar— again because they are a private religious school.

Dollar has confirmed he has been talking to several parties about his legal options. But it appears the law is working against him in this case and those options are running out.

Worse, the case is providing a roadmap for other institutions for how to fire their LGBT employees without fear of any consequences.

GA VOICE | 14

COMMUNITY

06.06.14

www.theGAVoice.com

Atlanta Pride celebrates Stonewall Month with series of fun events For the second year in a row, Atlanta Pride has organized a series of events throughout June to honor the riot at Stonewall, considered by many as the moment the modern-day LGBT equality movement began.

Dine Out for Pride Ria’s Bluebird • Memorial Drive, Atlanta GA 30312 Friday, June 6 • 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Premiere Party for CHRIS Kids Mason Murer Fine Art Center • Armour Drive, Atlanta, GA 30324 Saturday, June 7 • 6 to 10 p.m.

Premiere Party is the annual summer kickoff cocktail party and silent auction for the nonprofit CHRIS Kids, an organization that helps LGBT and all youth “who suffer from trauma and neglect.”

Tickets start at $40 in advance, $50 at the door.

VIP tickets start at $125 www.chriskids.org/premiereparty 90’s Pride Prom Mary’s • 1287 Glenwood Ave SE, Atlanta GA 30316 Saturday, June 7 at 10 p.m.

Join your favorite Village Queens for a night of 90s Pride Prom realness and support Atlanta Pride.

Bring cash to tip the queens and donate to Atlanta Pride. No cover.

Screening of “The New Black” Phillip Rush Center Annex • 1530 DeKalb Ave, Atlanta GA 30307 Monday, June 9 • 7 to 9 p.m.

“The New Black” is a critically hailed documentary examining the African-American community’s diverse responses to the issue of marriage equality and LGBT rights. $5 donation suggested Immigration Law 101 for LGBTQ couples and families with Kerry McGrath and co-sponsored by Atlanta Pride Charis Books & More • 1189 Euclid Ave. NE, Atlanta GA 30307 Tuesday, June 10 • 7:30 to 9 p.m.

This is an informative session to learn up-to-the minute developments in immigration marriage law for LGBT people after the Supreme Court struck down a major portion of the Defense of Marriage Act law.

Spanish interpretation available.

Suggested donation is $5.

More info: http://tinyurl.com/moz9hg8 2014 East Point Possums Show Downtown East Point on the Commons Saturday, June 14 • 8 to 11 p.m.

(See why you should attend on Page 16) www.eastpointpossums.com Protect Your Relationship with Legal Documents The Rush Center • 1530 DeKalb Ave. Session 1: Saturday, June 14, from noon to 6 p.m.

Session 2: Sunday, June 15, from noon to 6 p.m.

Cost to attend event: Price of marriage license Georgia Benefits Counsel is partnering with Atlanta Pride to provide a series of low-cost legal clinics that will help LGBTQ couples protect their relationships with important and necessary legal documents.

Atlanta Cotillion presents ‘Cirque de Nuit en Rouge’ on June 21, a night of live entertainment and stunning costumes all to raise funds for AID Atlanta. (Courtesy photo)

DETAILS Atlanta Pride Stonewall Month www.atlantapride.org/events

RSVP required—email David Rutland at gbcdavid@gmail.com Out on Film screening of ‘To Be Takei’ Phillip Rush Center Annex • 1530 Dekalb Ave. Wednesday, June 18 at 7 p.m.

Cost to attend event: $10 TitlCliterati Open No-Mic featuring Stonewall Month special guest Kordale Lewis Charis Books & More • 1189 Euclid Ave. NE, Atlanta, GA 30307 Thursday, June 19 • 7:30 to 9:30p.m.

The featured performer is Kordale Lewis, author of ‘Picture Perfect,’ “which tells the story of how the photo of him and his partner doing their daughter’s hair went viral on Facebook and Instagram and sparked a worldwide conversation about black gay men, fatherhood and families.”

Suggested donation is $5.

More info: http://tinyurl.com/pq92xg4 Georgia Equality’s Evening for Equality TWELVE Hotel, Atlantic Station • 361 17th St. NW, Atlanta, GA 30363 Saturday, June 21 VIP reception at 6 p.m.; general admission at 7:30 p.m.

This year’s honorees are: the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, Grady Health System; Augusta Pride; and Kevin Clark of the Savannah chapter of Georgia Equality.

To purchase tickets: www.georgiaequality. org/2014/03/10th-annual-evening-equality.

Atlanta Cotillion presents ‘Cirque de Nuit en Rouge’ Delta Flight Museum • 1060 Delta Blvd., Atlanta, GA 30354

Saturday, June 21 • 7 to 11 p.m.

In 2013, this event attracted some 500 people and raised more than $75,000 for AID Atlanta. The money considered unrestricted funds, is used by the agency to supplement programs such as the Evolution Center for young gay men, free HIV testing and community testing events.

Tickets: Host-$250, VIP-$125, general admission-$50. www.AtlantaCotillion.com Atlanta Freedom Bands Present ‘Set Sail!’

First Metropolitan Community Church 1379 Tullie Road NE, Atlanta 30329 Saturday, June 21 Doors open at 7:30 p.m., show begins at 8 p.m.

“Atlanta Freedom Bands present “Set Sail,” a swashbuckling concert of sailors, pirates, and songs of the sea.

Cost to attend event: $15 general admission, $10 for seniors, $5 for students To purchase tickets: www.tickets.atlantafreedombands.com We are Family!

Piedmont Park Pavilion between active oval and Greystone building. Enter from 12th Street entrance and follow path past playground and pavilion is on the left.

Sunday, June 22 • 1 to 4 p.m.

“Atlanta Pride invites LGBTQ families and kids of all ages to enjoy a day of games, arts and crafts, kids yoga, story telling, face painting, and more! Adults can participate in a yoga class and visit community family resources tables including legal, health, and literary organizations. ‘We are Family’ is free, open to the public, and pizza and water will be provided. Join us for a day in the sun to kick off summer!”

Cost to attend event: Free but donations are welcome.

www.theGAVoice.com

HONORING: -The Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce -Grady Health System -Augusta Pride -Kevin Clark

06.06.14

GA VOICE

PRESENTS

GEORGIA EQUALITY’S

10TH ANNUAL

EVENING

FOR EQUALITY JUNE 21, 2014

Host Committee: $250 Couple | $150 individual | General Admission is $75 A BENEFIT FOR GEORGIA EQUALITY AND THE EQUALITY FOUNDATION OF GEORGIA

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

06.06.14

www.theGAVoice.com

By DYANA BAGBY dbagby@thegavoice.com The annual East Point Possums show on June 14 is perhaps the largest event held during Atlanta Pride’s Stonewall Month of activities. Showcasing “bad drag for a good cause,” dozens of drag artists and performers donate their time and tips to Lost-N-Found Youth, an organization started by the founders of the Possums to help get LGBT homeless youth off the streets.

Held in downtown East Point on the Commons, the show is considered “The Southeast’s Largest Drag Extravaganza” and will feature more than 20 acts. Grab your lawn chairs and prepare to give generously—the show can raise $20,000 in one night.

2. Meet a friend or several hundred.

3. Broadway-quality production numbers from some of Atlanta’s best drag artists.

1. It’s a family-friendly affair.

Your children will know more about drag by preschool than you did by the time you were 30.

4. Bucks Rugby players in wigs and purple underwear.

(Photos by Dyana Bagby)

DETAILS

East Point Possums Show Saturday, June 14 8-11 p.m. www.eastpointpossums.com

5. Two words: Possum punch.

9. You just might run into one of the city’s most respected LGBT leaders as their alter-ego. Here is Jeff Graham, executive director of Georgia Equality, dolled up as Lola Lorraine.

6. Seriously, all money raised goes to help Lost-N-Found Youth, a grassroots, non-profit organization dedicated to helping homeless LGBT youth find housing.

7. The talent is so bright you have to wear shades.

11. Unfortunately, hygiene tips are not very helpful at this event.

10. Shameless eye candy.

12. A sticky good time is always had by all.

8. We’ve got a feeling there will be some memorable celebrity impersonations.

13. Shenitta Lott, Prissy Cilla and Dina Daintymouth work hard all year to keep the FUN in fundraising. Superstars!

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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Art exhibit looks at restroom signage ‘Deconstructing Binaries’ explores challenges of gender identity For most of us, using a public restroom is no big deal. But for others who are gender non-conforming, just this basic task can take on quite the burden.

For Stonewall Month, Georgia Equality, WonderRoot, Charis Books & More, TILTT and JustUs ATL are coming together to tackle this specific topic with a community-based public art project titled “Deconstructing Binaries.” The exhibit specifically explores the “challenges binary representations of gender identity on public restroom signage.”

One of the participating artists, Andre Keichan, doesn’t like to identify by a certain label, “but when I do, I use the words queer, Latin@, gender queer, on the trans spectrum.”

“I combine these words to reflect how I feel, my experiences and how I position myself in the world,” Keichan adds.

Removing strict binaries from public restrooms can help make the world safer and also recognize the diversity of our society.

“Strict binaries regarding bathrooms lead to policing and potentially violent situations for people who are gender nonconforming, and there are many of us,” Keichan says. “Moving beyond an either/or logic, we are certainly more varied, and that diversity should be celebrated.”

Keichan’s piece in the exhibit is made up of different media “in order to make gender more fluid, playful and supple.”

“For this project, I’ve chosen to use a

Andre Keichan’s work, above, in the Stonewall Month ‘Deconstructing Binaries’ exhibit uses different media to make gender ‘more fluid, playful and supple.’ Fahama Pecou, a straight black artist, explores black male stereotypes in his work, left. (Courtesy photos)

DETAILS

DIY punk and zine aesthetic in order to encourage people to reflect upon how gender should be a process of self-making and selfdetermination,” Keichan adds.

Fellow artist Fahama Pecou, a straight black man, exaggerates various stereotypes of black masculinity.

“I’m motivated largely by the fact that my

own performance of my masculinity existed in many ways outside of the projected black male ideal,” Pecou says. “I wanted to challenge those ideals.”

‘Deconstructing binaries’ is an “arresting concept,” Pecou says.

“Even if for a brief moment, to take pause to consider that differences do exist and to

‘Deconstructing Binaries’ June 19, 7 p.m.

Poem 88 1100 Howell Mill Road, Suite A04, Atlanta, GA

acknowledge that in many ways our society doesn’t make room for those differences, becomes a step in the right direction towards inclusion and sensitivity to experiences other than our own,” he says.

by Dyana Bagby

‘Theologically Incorrect’ to tackle sexuality, religion Panelists from different faiths to discuss contemporary LGBT topics and beliefs Sexuality and sin is a major concern for many LGBT people as they come out and accept themselves for who they are. The panel discussion ‘Theologically Incorrect: Finding Your Voice” intends to be a resource for all people who may be struggling or for those who want to

ART IN MOTION Theologically Incorrect—Finding your Voice June 12, 7-9 p.m.

Phillip Rush Center Annex

learn more.

Panelist planned to be part of the discussion on religion and sexuality include Faisal Alam, member of Muslim Alliance for Sexual and Gender Diversity ; Rabbi Brad Levenberg of Temple Sinai; Rev. Maressa Pendermon, Unity Fellowship Church; and Rev. Paul M. Turner, Gentle

Spirit Christian Church of Atlanta.

“God has not been nor is now binary in anything,” says Turner. “Sexuality and its practice is fluid. Gender is not defined by what is simply called man or women, feminine or masculine.”

The role of the Christian faith in today’s world needs to be about bringing an openess to God’s creativity rather than “attempting to be God” and narrowly define people’s roles in that creative process.

“The church ought to be doing everything in its power to allow its people to

own their relationship with God and thus allow folks to seek their greatest growth in knowledge, faith and spirituality possible,” Turner says.

“Sexuality is God’s life-giving and life-fulfilling gift. We come from diverse religious communities to recognize sexuality as central to our humanity and as integral to our spirituality,” he adds.

We at GSCC are speaking out against the pain, brokenness, oppression and loss of meaning that many experience about their sexuality.”

by Dyana Bagby

www.theGAVoice.com

COMMUNITY

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Catching Up … with Cheryl Summerville Fired from Cracker Barrel for being gay, former cook reflects on the incident

we’re at with our lives and are just an old married couple right now. We had a daughter that came out of it; she’s 21 years old now. They used to call her “the Queer Nation baby.”

Why is that?

We had tried for awhile [to get pregnant] through a clinic without success. It’s an expensive process. Then we became very close friends with a man that we met through Queer Nation. Once we began to get short on money, he stepped up and said that he would be more than happy to be a donor. So we did some testing and it just worked out. We tried three times and [Riley] got pregnant. We look at that and think that this was all meant to happen. She’s really turned out to be a great kid.

By PATRICK SAUNDERS psaunders@thegavoice.com “The employee is being terminated due to violation of company policy. The employee is gay.”

With those words on a letter in her hands, Cheryl Summerville walked out of the Cracker Barrel in Douglasville, Georgia, in February 1991, fired from a job as a cook she loved and previously saw a bright future in. The abrupt change in company policy caused a ripple effect, leading to several more LGBT employees being fired, and causing this Bremen resident and her partner Sandra Riley’s quiet lives to turn into one of protests, harassment and a media storm, including appearances on “20/20,” “Larry King Live” and even “Oprah.”

Cracker Barrel quickly ditched the new company policy that required employees to “demonstrate normal heterosexual values,” and in 2002 adopted a non-discrimination policy that includes sexual orientation (but not gender identity).

Sadly, a similar situation is taking place more than 20 years later with the story of Flint Dollar, a gay band director in Georgia who was fired from his job at a Catholic school last month due to his sexual orientation. There is still no state or federal employment non-discrimination policy covering the LGBT community.

Summerville, 56, and her partner Riley, 58, just celebrated their 33rd anniversary together and are now proud grandparents. She now works in management with Hardee’s.

Summerville took some time to talk with the GA Voice about the Cracker Barrel controversy, her “Queer Nation baby,” advice for Flint Dollar.

So Cheryl, you went to work as a cook at the Cracker Barrel in Douglasville in 1989.

Were you out at work?

Well, I was out, but it’s not like I went around and introduced myself to everyone as a lesbian.

But Sandra would come around and I’d talk about her. I don’t think that everyone in the store knew it but a great deal did, and I knew the management team did. I wasn’t in the closet.

What was your initial reaction to getting fired for being gay?

Pure shock. I went home and it took awhile for it to sink in that this had actually happened. I was really pissed off, too [laughs].

I was like, ‘They can’t do this, it’s against the law.’ Then I found out Monday morning [from the ACLU] that it wasn’t against the

“I made up my mind that no matter what happened, I couldn’t be afraid.” —Cheryl Summerville law in the state of Georgia and a great deal of other states.

What happened next?

We had talked to several people and asked about different organizations. Then someone told us about Queer Nation, and with the name, we were like, ‘We’re not too sure about this.’ [laughs] Then we were in Little 5 Points shortly after that and Sandra mentioned that Queer Nation was having a meeting there and suggested we stop in. There were all these normal people standing there. Lynn Cothren [the openly gay longtime assistant to the late Coretta Scott King] was there and he was in a suit and tie and had just come from the office working with Mrs. King. I guess I just expected more radical people, which some were of course. I guess I expected ranting, but it was a nice experience. Everyone there was very pleasant.

And a protest was discussed?

That’s what was on top of the discussion list when we got there. So they set the date for the first one, which was held at the Norcross store off Jimmy Carter Boulevard, and we attended it.

Were you nervous about taking part?

Nervous, scared even. I mean, I had never done anything like that. I didn’t know what to expect, I didn’t know how people would react. I was out of my comfort zone.

What was your reaction to the media attention?

I was afraid the first time I spoke on camera. I was afraid for our son. I wouldn’t let them film me from the front. Then I got home and saw the interview and realized how ashamed I was of myself for doing that. So I made up my mind then that no matter what happened, that I couldn’t be afraid. I never did anything like that ever again. I was realizing that I wasn’t as out as much as I thought I was.

At one point, my son was harassed at school and he came to me and said, ‘Why you?’ And I said, ‘Because it happened to me and if I don’t stand up for myself, no one else will.’ Now I had tons of support, but I was always taught that you stand up for yourself.

When I realized I wasn’t really doing that, I knew I just had to go full force.

How did you feel about Cracker Barrel changing the policy the next month after firing you?

Very happy because for so long we had gone and not really made much difference. Let’s face it; we didn’t have a great deal of support from the customer base. It really took their shareholders to make a difference to bring them into the 20th century. So I’m just happy that happened and there was some kind of outcome.

What was life like after the policy change and the media attention died down?

Our lives have settled down a great deal since then. Today we’re just comfortable where

How did this whole Cracker Barrel experience change you?

In the very beginning I think it made me a lot more cynical. I didn’t trust people like I had. It’s really an eye-opening experience to find so much hate around you. A lot of times we would go to a protest and we would come across so much hate and so much negativity and meanness that after the protests were over, we would go somewhere all together and spend time together. That would help us be able to release some of that. But there were times where you went home and it left you with a bad taste in your mouth for a while.

I had never experienced that. My family was pretty good about everything, we had a great deal of straight friends who were supportive, then for that to happen was a shock to the system—you do some really fast growing up.

I also became much more aware of things.

I educated myself a great deal on it. There are so many positive things to go along with it.

My daughter came out of it, which of course was the best thing that ever happened. It made my whole family much more aware of things that most people never experience.

You’ve heard about the Flint Dollar story.

How do you feel about the fact that over 20 years later, this stuff is still happening and there is still not a non-discrimination policy in Georgia covering sexual orientation?

Well, definitely there needs to be one. There needs to be a federal law period. It’s amazing, it’s always surprising to get up in the morning and see something like that happening again today. You think people have moved so far in the country and then things like that still happen. There will always be prejudice as far as I can figure. When it comes to African-Americans, there’s still prejudice today. I assume that will still happen to us too.

As someone who went through the same firestorm, what advice do you have for Dollar?

Hang in there. He’s got a great deal of support. He can’t let it suck the life out of him.

He’s still his own person.

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FILM BY STEVEWARREN

‘Burning Blue’: High-flying love in the Navy Gore Vidal, George Takei documentaries also on tap for Atlanta “Burning Blue” might be called the gay “Top Gun,” but since Kelly McGillis was in the original, maybe the “out ‘Top Gun’” is more appropriate. Or “Top Gun” meets “Yossi and Jagger.”

Yes, it’s another story of love in the military.

Director and co-writer (with Helene Kvale) DMW Greer says the story is based on his own experiences in the 1980s, before “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” triggered witch-hunts that made things even worse for gays in the service.

The movie takes place in the latter period, starting in 1995 when Dan (Trent Ford) helps conceal the night blindness of his best buddy, Will (Morgan Spector), which costs the Navy a plane. Dan exchanges glances with Matt (Rob Mayes) at Matt’s wedding but they don’t act on their attraction until five years later, when the story resumes.

During a vacation in New York City, Matt acts as Dan’s tour guide. They wind up in a straight bar where a woman picks them up and takes them to another bar to dance.

Although we later find out the second bar is gay, Dan, Matt and two of their shipmates leave with women. Dan and Matt exchange more glances while having sex with their female pickups in the same bed.

Matt has a fight with his wife and Dan

‘To Be Takei,’ a documentary about George Takei, the beloved actor-activist, screens as part of Out on Film and Atlanta Pride’s Stonewall Month on June 18. (Publicity photo)

DETAILS ‘Burning Blue’ Opens June 6 at the AMC Southlake Pavilion 24 also available on most Video On Demand platforms ‘Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia’ Opens June 13 Landmark Midtown Art Cinemas www.landmarktheatres.com/ Market/Atlanta/Atlanta_Frameset.htm ‘To Be Takei’ Sponsored by Out on Film and Atlanta Pride 7:30 p.m., June 18 Phillip Rush Center

‘GORE VIDAL: UNITED STATES OF AMNESIA’

‘Burning Blue’ is the story of two Navy pilots who fall in love before the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’. (Publicity photo)

breaks up with his fiancée of eight years, leaving Will the only happy hetero in this bromantic triangle that puts the “men” in a ménage à trois. Will loves Dan more than Matt does, but in a nonsexual way, adding a bi angle to the triangle.

Shaving his “beard” moves Dan higher on the suspicion list of John Cokely (Michael Sirow), a government queer hunter who’s infiltrated the unit on the pretext of investigating a series of training accidents that have cost the Navy men and machines.

Another fellow officer, Charlie (William Lee Scott), is used for comic relief, but he’s also very careful to use gender-neutral pronouns when discussing his private life.

If “Burning Blue” has any credibility it’s lost when Dan is formally accused of being gay and sent before a tribunal consisting of two admirals (because what else do they have to do all day?) — his own father and Will’s father!

Fortunately the repeal of DADT, after it caused the discharge of over 14,000 LGBTs, has relegated this era to the history books, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t good movies to be made about it. “Burning Blue” isn’t one of them.

Perhaps Greer thought discretion was needed to attract mainstream audiences, which suggests he hasn’t been to the mov-

ies since before “Brokeback Mountain.”

Aside from some language, the (PG-13) hetero sex scene and one kiss between two men, “Burning Blue” could be shown in a Baptist church! (They would also approve of the way one character is smote after being smitten.)

I’m not asking for porn, but early in the film there are several scenes of hugging, wrestling and even campy dancing that show what’s acceptable between men as long as they’re straight. Against this background the limited actual gay activity is easily overlooked, which will frustrate gay viewers and confuse straights.

Greer has made good use of stock footage of planes and a carrier to suggest the settings on a miniscule budget, but the script isn’t strong enough to smooth over the compromises this requires. While a lack of one kind of diversity may be the film’s point, Greer’s sailors are almost all as white as their dress uniforms.

Even though the film was finished in 2011, it’s taken “Burning Blue” three years to reach theaters and Video on Demand. That Lionsgate decided to release it may indicate they’re looking for a new niche audience because Tyler Perry’s box office receipts have been dwindling. There are many better films they could have chosen for their experiment.

Getting a theatrical run starting June 13 at the Landmark Midtown Art Cinemas after debuting at last fall’s Out on Film is “Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia.” What we said then bears repeating: There was always more to Gore Vidal (1925-2011) than just being gay, as there was to his 19th-century counterpart, Oscar Wilde. Nicholas Wrathall’s documentary gives a balanced, entertaining look at all facets of the novelist (“The City and the Pillar,” “Myra Breckinridge”), politician, revisionist historian and social commentator who believed in “socialism for the rich and free enterprise for the poor.” Interviews are shown from various periods of Vidal’s life, along with clips of his TV appearances with famous sparring partners William F. Buckley and Norman Mailer. He cites a boy he met in prep school as the love of his life, and curiously, describes the more than half a century he spent with Howard Auster, who’s buried next to him, as a nonsexual relationship.

Queer in every sense of the word, Vidal was never dull. Neither is this film.

STONEWALL SCREENING: ‘TO BE TAKEI’

Speaking of Out on Film, they’re having a special Stonewall Month screening of Jennifer M. Kroot’s documentary, “To Be Takei” at 7:30 p.m. June 18 at the Phillip Rush Center.

It’s like an expanded version of the profile PBS did recently of George Takei on “Pioneers of Television,” but with much more participation by his husband, Brad Altman Takei, and more plugs for his Broadway-bound musical, “Allegiance,” about his family’s experiences in Japanese-American internment camps during World War II. Redress for that shameful chapter has been one of Takei’s political causes, joined by LGBT rights after Gov. Schwarzenegger vetoed a California gay marriage bill in 2005 and Takei officially came out. With over 7 million Facebook followers, the beloved actor-activist has a builtin audience for this delightful portrait.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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THEATER BY JIM FARMER

‘Wonderful Wizard of Oz’ comes to life at Serenbe Production pays homage to classic L. Frank Baum novel Brian Clowdus realized there would be lots of complicated logistics before proceeding with an adaptation of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” as part of his new season at Serenbe Playhouse. But first things first—he knew early on that he was going to have a Yellow Brick Road. A real one.

This take on “Oz” opens his fifth season at Serenbe as the artistic director.

Based on the classic L. Frank Baum novel, this world premiere has been re-imagined

by Rachel Teagle, a frequent collaborator with Clowdus and Serenbe. It follows the book more closely than the celebrated, iconic film. “Being the 75th anniversary of the film, we wanted to pay homage to it,” says Clowdus, who is directing. “But it’s really a celebration of the book.”

The show has four lead performers playing Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion, with three others bringing all the additional characters to life, including a Good Witch of the North and a Glinda, as well as a Flying Monkey King. Clowdus and company are working with the Center for Puppetry Arts with the production. Various forms of puppets are used for the flying monkeys, the Munchkins and the Wizard of Oz. Having the show performed outdoors gives it a real sense of place, Clowdus says, allowing the cast to literally walk over the Yellow Brick Road. It’s not, however, one of those walking shows that has become popular in the area. With the size of his audience, including kids of all ages and in strollers, he didn’t feel it was appropriate.

Everyone can relate to this version of the story, he feels. “It’s one of those classic stories that everyone connects to,” Clowdus says. “Our kids’ shows always have that level of sophistication, some humor that goes over the kids’ heads.”

LGBT audiences, of course, can completely

DETAILS ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’ Through Aug. 2 Serenbe Playhouse’s Animal Farm at the Inn 9110 Selborne Lane, Chattahoochee Hills, GA 30268 www.serenbeplayhouse.com ‘Evita’ Through June 8 Fox Theatre 660 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta, GA 30308 www.broadwayacrossamerica.com

‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’ production has already broken attendance records at the Serenbe Playhouse with the retelling of the classic novel. (Photo by BreeAnne Clowdus)

identify with the character of Dorothy. “She is a bit of an outcast, an only child, raised by her aunt and uncle in an area where she doesn’t have much to use for her imagination,” says Clowdus, who is gay. “She uses her imagination to escape. I think that hits home for a lot in the LGBT community because so many can relate to feeling isolated.”

Clowdus’ season also includes “Oklahoma!” (that he is also directing) and the drama “Ten Mile Lake,” also a world premiere.

Last year, Clowdus’ acclaimed musical “Hair” was one of his summer offerings.

‘EVITA’ AT THE FOX

Playing through this weekend at the Fox Theatre, courtesy of the Broadway Across America series, is the musical “Evita,” about the rise and fall of Eva Peron, aka the First Lady of Argentina. Out performer Tug Martin is one of the swing members in this touring version. This is his third time with “Evita,” which has become something of a good luck charm for him. He’s been on the national tour for 10 months now. “Evita” returned to the West End in 2006 and to Broadway a few seasons back with out musician Ricky Martin as Che. Tug Martin says this newer version has some tweaks, such as upping the relationship between Che and Eva. “It’s been an audience favorite for over 30 years,” he says. “We pull out all the stops. It’s not showy at all.” The wonderful score, though, remains the score.

The titular role has attracted divas such as Madonna, Patti Lupone and more. Eva is a person LGBT audiences can especially relate to, Tug Martin says. “She was told she could not do it but did it with gusto,” he says.

“I can’t think of a bigger word than captivating to think of her. Her power, her sex appeal helped her succeed.”

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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Eating my words BY CLIFF BOSTOCK

New Middle Eastern, pizza eateries to tempt tastebuds And some thoughts on restaurant potty patrol We’ve got two new mid-priced restaurants in Midtown—the highly anticipated Varuni Napoli and the undeservedly neglected Babylon Café. We also need to talk about potties a bit this week.

Babylon Café (2257 Lenox Road NE, 404-329-1007, http://tinyurl.com/mhsrz2w) is the latest of countless restaurant attempts at the corner of Lenox and Cheshire Bridge roads. If you’re a fan of Middle Eastern food, you definitely want to visit this newbie. It is the only Iraqi restaurant in the city.

It’s easy to lump all cuisines in the Middle East together. Indeed, much of the menu at Babylon looks like it contains Persian (Iranian), Lebanese, Greek, and even Indian dishes. But all of these cuisines date back to Sumerian times in the third century B.C. The cooking, as it migrated to different regions, developed unique characteristics, mainly in the way spices are used.

I’ve sampled very little of the menu but can’t wait to return. My favorite so far is the Ghormeh Sabzi, a stew of spinach, parsley, chickpeas and lamb. Lamb is featured in just about all Middle Eastern cuisines, but the Iraqi taste is unique. It doesn’t burn the palate at all, but complex layers of herbs make it uniquely spicy. It’s a large portion and it seemed absurd that I might eat the whole thing myself.

A warning: We tend to think that all ethnic foods should be dirt-cheap. Babylon’s entrees range from $16 to $24. Some of them come with a cup of lentil soup, a departure from other regional varieties. It’s pureed but not thick, and in this instance, slowly produces a mild burn in the back of the throat. The classic southern Iraqi dish here is Samak Masquf, a whole grilled fish, uniquely spiced. I haven’t tried it yet, but a friend has raved about it.

We all know that a pizza war has been raging in Atlanta the last few years. Antico Pizza is usually regarded as the city’s best. It deserves the ranking, but the place is often chaotic. Despite long community tables, it can get so crowded that customers eat off stacks of cardboard boxes of San Marzano tomatoes.

Now, a former employee of Antico has opened Varuni Napoli (11540 Monroe Drive, 404-709-2690, www.varuni.us). Owner Luca Varuni told Atlanta magazine that his pizza ingredients exceed Antico’s in their authenticity. Maybe, but “authenticity” is one of those words that shouldn’t be equated with

The Samak Masquf, a whole grilled fish, is a classic southern Iraqi dish served at Babylon Café. (Photo via Facebook)

necessarily better taste. As my friend Salvatore in Italy tells me, there is too much else at play—smell, eye-appeal, salt, humidity, oven and talent—to assume much on the basis of ingredients alone.

Like Antico’s, the Naples-style pizza here is thin-crusted, kind of gooey in the center and crisper as you eat your way to the charred outer crust. My test of any pizzeria is the Margherita, a simple pie made with tomato sauce, basil and buffalo mozzarella. One of only two vegetarian pizzas on the menu, mine was a bit of a disappointment. I much preferred a friend’s pie, the Pako, that includes mozzarella, roasted smoked peppers, basil and pecorino cheese.

Architect Giancarlo Pirrone’s huge, open interior is mind-blowingly beautiful. Glass cases of food and a bar for eating wrap the kitchen. Yes, seating is mostly community tables, including a dazzling red one in a separate room, but there are plenty of two- and four-tops. There’s a pleasant patio in the rear.

My favorite surprise at the restaurant was the restrooms. One is labeled male, another female … and a third “undecided.” As most members of the feminist and LGBT communities know, gendered restrooms—especially single-user ones—are controversial.

Obviously, it all gets even more complicated in restrooms that accommodate more than one person. There, gender-nonconformists are especially at risk of encountering shit-slinging cisgender folks.

In recent years, many restaurants have become more enlightened than Starbucks. There’s even a website, http://www.refugerestrooms.org/, that lists gender-nonconforming restrooms around the country.

Cliff Bostock, PhD, besides being a longtime Atlanta dining critic, is a psychotherapist-turned-life coach, specializing in creativity, midlife transition and gay issues.

He offers individual sessions and group workshops. www.cliffbostock.com.

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OUTSIDE THE BOX Kicking off summer in Savannah Skipping Pensacola madness for a true getting away experience

By BILL KAELIN Summer is finally here and while the rest of gay Atlanta seemed to welcome the start of the season by going to Pensacola for the yearly Memorial Day weekend beach party, I decided not to starve myself for weeks in order to fit into a skimpy bathing suit and instead headed down to our city’s own coast for the grand opening of the brand new Kimpton Hotel: The Brice in Savannah.

It’s not that I’m opposed to heading to a beach with thousands of gay men “strutting their stuff”—it’s just that when I go out of town for a holiday, I prefer to really get away from it all, including basically everyone that I can see at Blake’s on any given weekend. Let’s face it, Pensacola on Memorial Day weekend is like TEN on a Saturday night in Midtown except at the beach and with much less clothing.

Staying at a Kimpton Hotel is a lot more my speed than drunken beach dance parties these days and when I heard the brand new Brice hotel was opening I quickly made my reservation and welcomed summer in Slow-vannah.

The Brice is located on the far end of Bay Street away from the majority of the crazy tourist traps in town, and it has set a new standard for hotels in Savannah. This is a boutique hotel at its finest that feels like you are walking into a Southern inspired, modern-country club with tons of style and an intellectual, chic vibe that is especially evident while having pre-dinner cocktails in the “Secret Garden,” which is swanky like South Beach but with a Savannah style.

Pacci, the Kimpton restaurant and bar on the property, is a sexy yet casual Italian fine-dining spot where I was obsessed

Bill Kaelin is the owner of Bill Kaelin Marketing Events and Consulting Agency in Atlanta. www.BillKaelin.com

over the art and the Fisherman’s Cast Iron Stew that gave me my seafood fix without requiring a typical “crab shack” bib.

Thanks to Kimpton Hotels’ “Live Like A Local” program, the highly informed and engaging bartender from Pacci steered us to some of Savannah’s coolest spots that veered away from the typical ghost tours in topless funeral hearses. There was LuLu’s Chocolate Bar where I drank my dessert with one of the best Chocolate Martinis I’ve ever had as well as a hip lunch spot on Tybee Island called Tybee Island Social Club, which was the best way to take a break from the Redneck Riviera.

The summer is definitely off to a good start thanks to all my newfound friends in Savannah; however, it can be a long, hot summer in the ATL, and if you are looking for some fun in the sun locally, keep in mind we have the perfect “staycation” opportunity right here at The W Atlanta Midtown: My client “Wet Deck at The W Midtown” is hosting a variety of different events for you to beat the summer heat.

WET DECK AT THE W

Wet Deck is hosting two summer-long promotions for locals that include: “Forget About It … It’s Friday” where we will be creating mobile office magic for entrepreneurs, movers and shakers, or those of us just playing hooky on Friday! The Wet Deck is also throwing a more chilled out and sophisticated “Sunday Funday” for locals with “Silent Sundays” where there will be chilled out tunes so you can relax and enjoy refreshing cocktails, a full lunch menu, towel service and complimentary valet.

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(Photo by Alli Royce Soble)

Event spotlight

SATURDAY, JUNE 7

Photo via Facebook

Chris Kids hosts its annual Premiere Party tonight. The event includes a silent auction and DJ Vicki Powell. Patrons are encouraged to wear white, 6 – 10 p.m., Mason Murer Fine Art Center, www.masonmurer.com

06.06.14-06.20.14

Photo via Facebook

DJ Hifi Sean from London gets the bears going with Bearracuda, 9 p.m. – 3 a.m., Heretic Atlanta, www.hereticatlanta.com

MONDAY, JUNE 9 As part of Stonewall Month, Georgia Equality and Atlanta Pride present a screening of the award-winning documentary “The New Black,” a film exploring how African-American communities are grappling with gay rights. Phillip Rush Center Annex, 7 – 9 p.m., www.rushcenteratl.com

bout Tell us aBT event your LGys to submit your

o wa There are tw inclusion in our online r fo t n your event LGBT eve ars. Submit r e-mail d n le ca t n ri and p e.com o .theGAVoic info to www r@theGAVoice.com. dito details to e

FRIDAY, JUNE 6 – SUNDAY, JUNE 8

Atlanta Poly Weekend is a three-day international conference for the polyamorous and non-monogamous community, their friends and allies, hosted

by Relationship Equality Foundation and Atlanta Polyamory. In its fourth year, the event features over 20 educators from all across the globe, including experts in the field of non-monogamy research such as Dr. Elizabeth Scheff and Dr. Susan Mayer, to advocates and community leaders such as Franklin Veaux and Samantha Frazier, $60 at the door or via pre-registration, Holiday Inn Perimeter-Dunwoody. www.atlantapolyweekend.com

FRIDAY, JUNE 6 AND SATURDAY, JUNE 7

The Atlanta Women’s Chorus presents their “Mother, Daughter, Sister” concert tonight, 8 p.m., Druid Hills Presbyterian Church, 1026 Ponce De Leon Ave. NE, Atlanta, GA 30306

FRIDAY, JUNE 6

The gays in the military film “Burning Blue” opens in Atlanta area theaters, www.burningbluefilm.com Softball begins tonight as part of the Decatur Women’s Sports League, www.decaturwomensports.com

SATURDAY, JUNE 7

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Pick up flowers for the season and enjoy some nibbles at the Atlanta Pride Flower Hour benefit, part of Stonewall Month activities. The event is free but donations for the organization are accepted, 5 -7 p.m., Gardenhood Atlanta, www.gardenhoodatlanta.com

FRIDAY, JUNE 6

Princess Charles hosts the Pop! Star 2 talent show, with a $100 prize, 11 p.m., 10th and Piedmont, www.communitashospitality.com/10th-and-piedmont

SOMETHING GAY EVERY DAY!

Creedence Clearwater Revival kicks off this season’s Concerts in the Garden series at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, 8 p.m., www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org

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

Edie Cheezburger and her usual assortment of special guests present “The Other Show” drag event weekly at Jungle, 9:30 p.m., www.jungleatl.com

at Mixx Atlanta, www.mixxatlanta.com

SATURDAY, JUNE 7

The Atlanta Gender Variations: Parents of gender variant/trans children support group meets in Atlanta today from 2 – 4 p.m., Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta, www.uuca.org Free Texas Hold ‘Em poker is available from 4 – 8 p.m. followed by various DJs at 10 p.m

Bring a potluck dinner and meet some new friends at SAGE Atlanta’s Lesbian 50+ Potluck and Social, 6 – 8 p.m., Phillip Rush Center Annex, www.rushcenteratl.com Actor’s Express’s musical “End of the Rainbow” finds Judy Garland trying to make a comeback with a series of high-profile London concerts. Gay radio personality

John Lemley is in the cast, 8 p.m. tonight with performances through June 15, www.actorsexpress.com DJ Hifi Sean from London gets the bears going with Bearracuda, 9 p.m. – 3 a.m., Heretic Atlanta, www.hereticatlanta.com It’s Jock Strap Sister Twister Night with DJ Pat Scott, 9 p.m., Atlanta Eagle, www.atlantaeagle.com

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Monday Night Trivia, emceed by Wild Cherry Sucret, offers chances to win up to $250 in cash and prizes, 11 p.m. at Blake’s, www.blakesontheparkatlanta.com

27 Photo via delshores.com

Photo via HBO

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TUESDAY, JUNE 10

Immigration Law 101 for LGBTQ couples and families with Kerry McGrath, co-sponsored by Atlanta Pride. Local immigration attorney Kerry McGrath takes part in an informative session with up-to-the minute developments in the law. This is a Charis Circle Founding the Future of Feminism Program and the suggested donation is $5. 7:30 – 9 p.m., Charis Books, www.charisbooksandmore.com

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11 TUESDAY, JUNE 10

HBO, Human Rights Campaign and Out On Film present the Atlanta premiere of the Sundance Award-winning “The Case Against 8,” a documentary about the 2013 Supreme Court Prop 8 hearing. Director Ryan White and plaintiffs Sandy Stier and Kris Perry will be in attendance, 6:30 p.m., SCADshow (formerly 14th Street Playhouse).

Join your favorite village queens for ’90s Pride Prom and Gurlfrandz, a prom evening to support Atlanta Pride, 10 – 11:45 p.m., Mary’s, www.marysatlanta.com It’s Jen Chase Daniels’ Birthday Bash at My Sister’s Room, www.mysistersroom.com

SUNDAY, JUNE 8

If you’re not in the mood to go home quite yet, check out DJ Karlitos at Xion, 3 a.m., www.xionatlanta.com The final performances of the “Evita” national tour are today at 1 and 6:30 p.m., Fox Theatre, www.foxtheatre.org The Atlanta Radical Faeries host their June potluck, 3 p.m., Airship 2.0., 43 Woodward Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30312 Jazz @ 781, a series sponsored by St. Mark United Methodist Church, runs through today, 6:30 p.m., www.stmarkumc.org

MONDAY, JUNE 9

Making Space: A Community Writing Group for Activists, Healers and Every Day Healers is a writing group for those who work, move or spend time serving others through human service and community professions (psychologists, educators, social workers, etc).

This is Charis Circle From Margin to Center Literary Program. The suggested donation is $10.

6:30 – 8:30 p.m., Charis Books, www.charisbooksandmore.com

Loosen up and settle in for some exercise with yoga at the MISTER Center, 5:30 p.m., www.mistercenter.org The Atlanta Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (AGLCC) hosts AGLCC University: Keys to Levering Capital and Finding Financial Balance, 6 – 8 p.m., hosted by the Coca-Cola Company, www.atlantagaychamber.org The Country Fair edition of PALS’ Bingo, hosted by Bubba Dee, Brent Star and Kimora Layou, begins at 7:30 p.m., Jungle Atlanta, www.jungleatl.com Primetime Wednesdays dance party revs up from 10 p.m. – 3 a.m. at Sutra Lounge, 1136 Crescent Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30309

THURSDAY, JUNE 12

SAGE Atlanta opens its doors for social hour from 10 – 11 a.m., Phillip Rush Center Annex, www.rushcenteratl.com

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11 AND THURSDAY, JUNE 12

Del Shores comes to town on June 11 for an encore screening of his “Southern Baptist Sissies” at 7:30 p.m. at the Plaza Theatre, and then performs his “My Sordid Best” show at Lips at 7 p.m. on June 12. Both are benefits for AID Atlanta, www.aidatlanta.org

Authors Estelle Ford-Williamson and Majok Marier visit Charis Books. Their collaborative “Seed of South Sudan” tells the tale of Majok Marier, an Agar Dinka who was seven when war came to his village in southern Sudan.

During a 21-year civil war, two million lives were lost and 80 percent of the South Sudanese people were displaced. This event is sponsored by the GA Center for the Book and is free and open to the community. 7 p.m., Charis Books, www.charisbooksandmore.com

Traxx Girls night at My Sister’s Room offers drink specials, great music and lots of beautiful women, 10 p.m., www.mysistersroom.com

FRIDAY, JUNE 13 – SUNDAY, JUNE 15 The Sci Fi Summer Con brings together sci-fi fans all weekend for various activities at the Wyndham Atlanta Galleria, www.sfscon.net

FRIDAY, JUNE 13

The gay-themed “Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia” opens at the Midtown Art Cinema, www.landmarktheatres.com The M4M Hardbody Revue, hosted by Envy Van Michaels, is a competition for men with a $100 cash prize weekly, LeBUZZ, www.thenewlebuzz.com

Hotlanta Rubber Gear Club Bar Night/ Otter Chaos with DJ Atom1c, 10 p.m., Atlanta Eagle, www.atlantaeagle.com

a minimum. At these clinics, you and your partner can get these documents for however much it would cost you to get a marriage license in your county of residence. RSVP to David Rutland at gbcdavid@gmail.com. 12 – 6 p.m., and 12 – 6 p.m. on Sunday, June 15, Phillip Rush Center Annex, www.rushcenteratl.com

Boys Room is a Friday night dance party with DJ Headmaster and all sorts of retro music videos, Mary’s Atlanta, www.marysatlanta.com

“Let’s Make a Deal,” hosted by Ken, is on tap tonight at Friends on Ponce, 6 – 10 p.m., www.friendsonponce-atl.com

Destiny Brooks hosts Femme Fatale at 11 p.m. at Burkhart’s, www.burkharts.com

It’s back!! Atlanta Pride’s biggest fundraiser is the East Point Possum Show, with all sorts of special and unexpected performances, benefitting Lost-n-Found Youth, 7 p.m., www.atlantapride.org

SATURDAY, JUNE 14

Georgia Benefits Counsel is partnering with Atlanta Pride to provide a series of low-cost legal clinics that will help LGBTQ couples protect their relationships with important and necessary legal documents.

Gay marriage is still banned in the Georgia Constitution and LGBTQ couples in Georgia still need wills, financial powers of attorney and advance directives for health care — at

SUNDAY, JUNE 15

$2 well drinks are on tap all day and night at Sunday Funday at Bulldogs, 893 Peachtree St., Atlanta, GA 30309

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TUESDAY, JUNE 17

Siblings Derek and Julianne Hough, from TV’s “Dancing With the Stars,” bring their new dance show “Move Live on Tour” to the Cobb Energy Centre, 8 p.m., www.cobbenergycentre.com

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Angelica D’Paige hosts Sex Kitten Sundays, with $5 burgers and Smirnoff cocktails, 8 p.m., 10th & Piedmont, http://www.communitas hospitality.com/10th-and-piedmont/ Lateasha Shante Shuntel, Nicole Paige Brooks, Shawna Brooks and more divas present Cell Block Sunday at 8 p.m. at Blake’s, www.blakesontheparkatlanta.com

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Call me today at 404.564.4265.

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They’re an Atlanta tradition — the Armorettes bring down the house at Burkhart’s, 9 p.m., www.burkharts.com

MONDAY, JUNE 16

Trans and Friends is a youth focused group for trans people, people questioning their own gender, and aspiring allies. This is a project of the Feminist Outlawz. This event is co-sponsored by Charis Circle’s Strong Families, Whole Children Program. There is no suggested donation for youth participants of this program but adults and allies may make a donation in support of this program, 7 – 8:30 p.m., Charis Books,

www.charisbooksandmore.com

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18

Bring an empty stomach to Taco, Tequila and Beer Night at Amsterdam Atlanta, with $5 tacos, 6 – 11 p.m., www.amsterdamatlanta.com Atlanta Pride and Out On Film present the documentary “To Be Takei,“ looking at the life of iconic out actor George Takei, as part of Stonewall Month activities, 7:30 p.m., $10, Phillip Rush Center Annex, www.rushcenteratl.org Charis Books presents “The Art of Alluring Unicorns.” Unicorns (an individual who seeks the sexual and sometimes romantic companionship of an existing couple) are becoming increasingly popular – not only because of their rarity, but because of their ability to feed off the love of a loving couple. This workshop talks about how to allure unicorns by using cautious flirting and sexual negotiations that aim to please both parties. This event is co-sponsored by Velvet Lips and Charis Circle’s Urban Sustainability and Wellness Program. The suggested donation is $10. 7:30 – 9 p.m., Charis Books and More, www.charisbooksandmore.com The Big Gay Game Show is the monthly fundraiser for Lost-n-Found Youth, 7:30 p.m., Jungle, www.jungleatl.com

THURSDAY, JUNE 19

Georgia Equality, WonderRoot, Charis Books & More, TILTT and JustUsATL and Atlanta Pride present Deconstructing Binaries, a community-based public art project that explores and challenges binary representations of gender identity on public restroom signage. Five local artists — Jerushia Graham, Audre Grieve, Andre Keichian, Fahamu Pecou, Sheila Pree Bright — have created critical works of art in response to the open dialogue. A panel discussion will accompany the exhibition. 7 p.m., Poem 88, www.poem88.net

UPCOMINGEVENTS

Charis and Cliterati pair up to present an inviting and fierce open mic and reading series on the third Thursday of every month, hosted by the anarchic spoken word team of Karen G and Theresa Davis. This month’s featured performer is Kordale Lewis, author of ‘Picture Perfect.’ This is a Charis Circle From Margin to Center Literary Event co-sponsored by Atlanta Pride. The suggested donation is $5. 7:30 – 9 p.m., Charis Books, www.charisbooksandmore.com

SATURDAY, JUNE 21

Decadence: A Night of Drinking and Debauchery is every Thursday starting at 10 p.m., hosted by Adam Bland and Ashley Mitchell with beats by DJ Daryl Cox. A wet underwear contest begins at 11 p.m, with a cash prize and dancers galore, TEN Atlanta, www.tenatlanta.com

FRIDAY, JUNE 20

Singer-songwriter Jennifer Daniels performs at Eddie’s Attic, 8 p.m., www.eddiesattic.com

THURSDAY, JUNE 26 – SUNDAY, JUNE 29

Atlanta Freedom Bands hosts “Set Sail,” a musical journey exploring the beauty of the sea.

8 – 9:30 p.m., First Metropolitan Community Church of Atlanta, www.firstmcc.com

An LGBTQ Commitment Ceremony, speed dating and a strong entertainer lineup highlight the annual Rainbow Days at Six Flags Over Georgia, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., 275 Riverside Parkway

SUNDAY, JUNE 22

The ‘We Are Family!’ event, sponsored by

CHER DETERMINATION Saturday night's performance will feature a very special appearance by the nation’s #1 CHER impersonator & WINNER of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars,

CHAD MICHAELS

JUNE 27 @ 8PM JUNE 28 @ 2PM JUNE 28 @ 8PM SEASON FINALE

WITH SPECIAL GUEST CHAD MICHAELS!

RIALTO CENTER FOR THE ARTS 80 FORSYTH ST NW, ATLANTA

TICKETS: $25 AND UP AGMCHORUS.ORG 404-413-9TIX

Chad Michaels is represented by DivasAndDjs.com www.ChadMichaels.com

Voices of Note would like to thank Georgia State University's Rialto Center for the Arts for being a co-sponsor of Cher Determination.

GA VOICE | 29

Atlanta Pride, invites LGBTQ families and kids of all ages to enjoy a day of games, arts and crafts, kids yoga, storytelling, face painting, and more, 1 – 4 p.m., Piedmont Park Pavilion.

The Atlanta Cotillion’s Cirque De Nuit en Rouge event features performances from Liquid Sky, Prince Poppycock, Dragon house and Dance Crew benefitting AID Atlanta, Delta Flight Museum, 7 p.m. – 1 a.m., www.AtlantaCotillion.com

Georgia Equality hosts its 10th annual Evening for Equality, 7:30 p.m., Twelve Hotel, www.georgiaequality.org

06.06.14

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Taylor Dayne is among the acts headlining this year’s Augusta Pride, www.prideaugusta.org

SATURDAY, JUNE 28

SATURDAY, AUGUST 2

The Inaugural 5k Run/Walk will take place in the historic Marietta Square, beginning at 8 p.m., benefitting the Health Initiative, www.5kequalityrun.org

SATURDAY, JUNE 28

Katy Perry visits Philips Arena, 8 p.m., www.philipsarena.com

GA VOICE | 30

COLUMNISTS

06.06.14

www.theGAVoice.com

THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID Mainstream churches are big bullies Attacks on LGBT community unforgiveable

By MELISSA CARTER

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Have you ever thought of Sunday morning sermons that demonize the gay community as bullying? I had not until the other night.

When I think of bullies, the image of kids at school often comes to mind: the oversized middle schooler, whose veteran Dad was once a little too excited to be on the battlefield, with a headlock on some underweight shy kid. I was taught not to start a fight, but to be sure and finish it if someone picked on me. But bullying doesn’t just take place at recess, it shows its ugly face in many places we may not be aware of — and at any age.

I was recently part of a panel discussion at 7 Stages Theatre for its Bullying Prevention Project. Alongside me sat another lesbian, a gay man and a transgender man. We shared experiences of bullying and our subsequent activism before opening up the discussion to the audience. The topics primarily focused on how parents and teachers can help victims of bullying, and also the bullies themselves.

Then a man in his 70s raised his hand and said, “I’d like to address the elephant in the room.” I wasn’t sure what he was talking about until he continued, “Churches are one of the biggest offenders of bullying in the gay community.”

Religion had not yet been brought up, and honestly hadn’t crossed my mind so far that evening, but once he spoke those words I realized he was right.

A bully is defined by Merriam-Webster as “a blustering browbeating person; one habitually cruel to others who are weaker.” The words “blustering” and “habitually cruel” are key in describing some of the sermons I have heard in

Melissa Carter is one of the Morning Show hosts on B98.5. In addition, she is a writer for the Huffington Post.

She is recognized as one of the first out radio personalities in Atlanta and one of the few in the country. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCarter

my life. But I also think what is missing from that definition is how the victim of bullying is made to feel bad. Eventually you have to rise above the abuse and separate yourself from it.

That has been my relationship with church.

I grew up a devout Christian, looking forward to the Sunday morning routine of church as far back as I can remember. I was baptized, served as a leader in my youth group and even stood before the congregation to pray for my sick father, all within the comfortable walls of my hometown church. But once I realized I was a lesbian those walls seemed to close in on me, as if to squeeze me out.

The moment I decided to walk away from that routine came while at the University of Tennessee. We students had arrived in Knoxville for a new school year, and the preacher took that opportunity to warn the congregation of the evils college life had to offer, including homosexuality. He spent five minutes passionately damning the gay community, as I tried to find a way to slide quietly out the door.

I had given my life to the church, and had a good relationship with God, but this fool lost any opportunity to benefit from my support.

The gentleman who brought up the topic at 7 Stages told me afterward that he contemplated suicide at the University of Florida following a similar church experience.

I know there are churches that are supportive of our community. More and more of them participate in Atlanta Pride and have LGBT groups within their organizations. But most major Christian bodies still find us unworthy of their pews, and plenty of LGBT children are considering suicide because of something referenced in the Bible. Like a relentless bully who then tries to apologize to his scar-riddled victim, I confess I’m skeptical of church and may not be ready to accept the apology if they ever had one to offer.

COLUMNISTS

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SOMETIMES'Y' My friend’s enemy Once used to oppose integration, ‘religious liberty’ recycled to fight LGBT rights

By RYAN LEE “Family values” is a phrase we don’t often hear anymore. Long the battle cry for religious conservatives in their war against LGBT equality, those two words seem to have expired now that a growing majority of American families no longer share the same values as gay-baiting politicians and evangelical interest groups.

The mantra du jour is “religious liberty,” the duplicitous notion that LGBT people fighting against discrimination infringe on the spiritual expression of those whose god commands that they discriminate. “Religious liberty” is the coded bigotry that was used to push bills in Arizona, Georgia and elsewhere that would have allowed business owners to invoke their “sincerely held religious beliefs” to deny services to LGBT customers.

It is also the most recent tactic that was previously used to oppress other minority groups, now being recycled to stifle LGBT progress. In a damning piece for Politico Magazine, Dartmouth professor Randall Balmer recently traced the birth of the modern Religious Right not to Roe v. Wade, but rather to Brown v. Board of Education.

As generations of southern schoolchildren can attest, many communities responded to federally mandated integration by creating all-white private schools, which were usually incorporated as tax-exempt religious charities. Balmer chronicled how the IRS sought to revoke the tax breaks these “segregation academies” schemed to receive, which prompted social conservatives to whine about their religious liberties being attacked.

Modern calls for “religious liberty” are little more than the echo of segregationists like Jerry Falwell and Bob Jones. It’s hard to come up with fresh ways to advocate stale intolerance.

One of the most sensitive elements of the LGBT movement is the extent to which it should be compared to earlier social justice struggles, most notably the African-American Civil Rights Movement. I believe there are significant differences between the Civil Rights

Ryan Lee is an Atlanta writer.

Movement and the current push for LGBT equality, but there are many parallels, including a foundational similarity: a shared enemy.

As the “religious liberty” catchphrase reminds us, the leading opponents of LGBT rights are the philosophical descendants of those who opposed civil rights for blacks at every juncture of our nation’s history. Not only is the enemy the same, but so are the arguments—talking points that were used to oppose emancipation, integration and miscegenation have been dusted off to wage war against same-sex marriage, gay adoption and employment non-discrimination.

Unfortunately, both minority groups tend to overlook how the same enemy uses the same weapons to abuse either population.

Worse, mainstream LGBT culture often abets white supremacy, while black Christians assume the reins of homophobia.

Right-wing leaders are desperate to prevent these two marginalized groups from recognizing their shared foe. For the last decade, antigay organizations have been recruiting—and compensating—black preachers to serve as the figureheads of their intolerant campaigns.

It is a divisive technique employed by white evangelicals who have no other regard for African-Americans or their civil rights, and who actively work against black interests in most other policy areas. Sadly, the mainstream LGBT movement is often equally uninterested in the ongoing struggle of blacks unless it can be used to advance our agenda, and we must become more reciprocal allies.

Our common legacy, and common opponent, offer a valuable lesson today: when losers of human rights struggles are allowed to define those battles, we get things like “states’ rights” to explain hundreds of years of human bondage and more than half a million dead American soldiers, and we get phrases like “religious liberty” to whitewash generations of LGBT individuals being persecuted and marginalized.

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