06/09/17, Vol. 8 Issue 8

YOU MATTER AND SO DOES YOUR HEALTH

That’s why starting and staying on HIV-1 treatment is so important.

What is DESCOVY ?

What are the other possible side effects of DESCOVY?

DESCOVY is a prescription medicine that is used together with other HIV-1 medicines to treat HIV-1 in people 12 years and older.

DESCOVY is not for use to help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 infection. DESCOVY combines 2 medicines into 1 pill taken once a day. Because DESCOVY by itself is not a complete treatment for HIV-1, it must be used together with other HIV-1 medicines.

Serious side effects of DESCOVY may also include:

®

DESCOVY does not cure HIV-1 infection or AIDS. To control HIV-1 infection and decrease HIV-related illnesses, you must keep taking DESCOVY. Ask your healthcare provider if you have questions about how to reduce the risk of passing HIV-1 to others.

Always practice safer sex and use condoms to lower the chance of sexual contact with body fluids. Never reuse or share needles or other items that have body fluids on them.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION What is the most important information I should know about DESCOVY? DESCOVY may cause serious side effects: •

•

•

•

Buildup of an acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious medical emergency. Symptoms of lactic acidosis include feeling very weak or tired, unusual muscle pain, trouble breathing, stomach pain with nausea or vomiting, feeling cold (especially in your arms and legs), feeling dizzy or lightheaded, and/or a fast or irregular heartbeat.

•

•

•

•

Changes in body fat, which can happen in people taking HIV-1 medicines.

Changes in your immune system. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new symptoms after you start taking DESCOVY. Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys.

Your healthcare provider may tell you to stop taking DESCOVY if you develop new or worse kidney problems.

Bone problems, such as bone pain, softening, or thinning, which may lead to fractures. Your healthcare provider may do tests to check your bones.

The most common side effect of DESCOVY is nausea. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that bother you or don’t go away.

What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking DESCOVY? •

•

Serious liver problems. The liver may become large and fatty.

Symptoms of liver problems include your skin or the white part of your eyes turning yellow (jaundice); dark “tea-colored” urine; lightcolored bowel movements (stools); loss of appetite; nausea; and/or pain, aching, or tenderness on the right side of your stomach area.

All your health problems. Be sure to tell your healthcare provider if you have or have had any kidney, bone, or liver problems, including hepatitis virus infection.

All the medicines you take, including prescription and overthe-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Other medicines may affect how DESCOVY works. Keep a list of all your medicines and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist.

Ask your healthcare provider if it is safe to take DESCOVY with all of your other medicines.

If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if DESCOVY can harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking DESCOVY.

You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or serious liver problems if you are female, very overweight, or have been taking DESCOVY for a long time. In some cases, lactic acidosis and serious liver problems have led to death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any symptoms of these conditions.

•

Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. DESCOVY is not approved to treat HBV. If you have both HIV-1 and HBV and stop taking DESCOVY, your HBV may suddenly get worse. Do not stop taking DESCOVY without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to monitor your health.

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.

•

If you are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. HIV-1 can be passed to the baby in breast milk.

Please see Important Facts about DESCOVY, including important warnings, on the following page.

Ask your healthcare provider if an HIV-1 treatment that contains DESCOVY® is right for you.

DVYC0019_B_10x10-5_GeorgiaVoice_Jardon_p2.indd 2-3

4/5/17 3:21 PM

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

(des-KOH-vee) MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT DESCOVY

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF DESCOVY

DESCOVY may cause serious side effects, including: • Buildup of lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious medical emergency that can lead to death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms: feeling very weak or tired, unusual muscle pain, trouble breathing, stomach pain with nausea or vomiting, feeling cold (especially in your arms and legs), feeling dizzy or lightheaded, and/or a fast or irregular heartbeat.

• Severe liver problems, which in some cases can lead to death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms: your skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow (jaundice); dark “tea-colored” urine; loss of appetite; light-colored bowel movements (stools); nausea; and/or pain, aching, or tenderness on the right side of your stomach area.

• Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. DESCOVY is not approved to treat HBV. If you have both HIV-1 and HBV, your HBV may suddenly get worse if you stop taking DESCOVY. Do not stop taking DESCOVY without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months.

You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or severe liver problems if you are female, very overweight, or have been taking DESCOVY or a similar medicine for a long time.

DESCOVY can cause serious side effects, including: • Those in the “Most Important Information About DESCOVY” section.

• Changes in body fat.

• Changes in your immune system.

• New or worse kidney problems, including kidney failure.

• Bone problems.

The most common side effect of DESCOVY is nausea.

These are not all the possible side effects of DESCOVY. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking DESCOVY. Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with DESCOVY.

ABOUT DESCOVY • DESCOVY is a prescription medicine that is used together with other HIV-1 medicines to treat HIV-1 in people 12 years of age and older. DESCOVY is not for use to help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 infection.

• DESCOVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. Ask your healthcare provider about how to prevent passing HIV-1 to others.

HOW TO TAKE DESCOVY • DESCOVY is a one pill, once a day HIV-1 medicine that is taken with other HIV-1 medicines.

• Take DESCOVY with or without food.

BEFORE TAKING DESCOVY Tell your healthcare provider if you: • Have or had any kidney, bone, or liver problems, including hepatitis infection.

• Have any other medical condition.

• Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

• Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed.

Do not breastfeed if you have HIV-1 because of the risk of passing HIV-1 to your baby.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take: • Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-thecounter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist.

• Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about medicines that should not be taken with DESCOVY.

GET MORE INFORMATION • This is only a brief summary of important information about DESCOVY. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more.

• Go to DESCOVY.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5 • If you need help paying for your medicine, visit DESCOVY.com for program information.

DESCOVY, the DESCOVY Logo, GILEAD, the GILEAD Logo, and LOVE WHAT’S INSIDE are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. All other marks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners. © 2016 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. DVYC0019 11/16

REMEMBERING PULSE

Atlanta to recognize Pulse anniversary in number of ways Details

Art show, fundraisers, vigils scheduled across the city

Georgia Commemorates Pulse Anniversary Somos Atlanta Art Show & Fundraiser Saturday, June 10 from 7 – 11:30 p.m.

Eyedrum Art & Music Gallery www.facebook.com/ events/182842548911214/

By PATRICK SAUNDERS psaunders@thegavoice.com Atlanta, like cities across the world, was deeply affected by last June’s shooting at Orlando LGBT nightclub Pulse that left 49 dead. Many in the community gathered at vigils across the city, first in the Ansley Square parking lot and the intersection of 10th and Piedmont the day of the shooting, and later at vigils at the Center for Civil and Human Rights and Ebenezer Baptist Church.

The city will come together again as the first anniversary of the June 12 shooting rolls around, and a number of different events will take place.

First up on Saturday, June 10 is an art show and fundraiser put on by local Latinx art collective Somos Sur at Eyedrum Art & Music Gallery in Downtown Atlanta. The groundwork for the event was laid soon after the shooting, when event organizers and Atlanta residents Josephine Figueroa and her cousin Kenneth started having more conversations about creating safe spaces for Latinx and queer people.

“I feel like when everything was coming out and people were talking about [the shooting], a lot of people were failing to mention that this was an attack on the queer Latinx community,” Figueroa told Georgia Voice. “For it to be so close to home – queer and Latinx – that’s really intense.”

They knew the anniversary was coming, and with it would come vigils, but that’s not how they wanted to approach the commemoration.

“Personally, I feel like when it comes to marginalized communities, we’re looked at in a sort of pitying way, and I didn’t want this fundraiser to be a vigil with mourning, but rather a celebration of the community that has been built in honor of the lives lost, because to me the only way to have a flourishing community is with love,” Figueroa said.

So, the event will include readings and a showcase of art by several local LGBT Latinx artists, plus music from queer Atlanta Latinx-led band Bitter and DJ Esme. The event www.thegeorgiavoice.com

Pulse Memorial & Prayer Vigil Monday, June 12 at 12 p.m.

Saint Mark United Methodist Church www.fpl.actionkit.com/sign/pulsemassacre-memorial-ga 49 Bells Pulse Commemoration Monday, June 12 at 12 p.m.

Unitarian Universalist Church of Augusta www.oneorlandoalliance.org/49-bells

The Pulse nightclub continues to be a living memorial one year after the shooting. Club owner Barbara Poma told media outlets last month that the site will turn into a permanent memorial and museum estimated to open in 2020. (Photo by Patrick Saunders)

is free, but a $5 donation is suggested, with proceeds going to queer liberation group Southerners On New Ground.

The festivities shift to East Atlanta gay bar Mary’s for an after-party and fundraiser for Positive Impact Health Centers.

‘It could have been any of us’ The enormity and significance of the Pulse shooting was not lost on Beth Larocca-Pitts, pastor at Saint Mark United Methodist Church in Midtown Atlanta.

“I think this is one of those things that will continue to resonate for a long time. The fact that the largest mass shooting in America happened at a gay nightclub, it happened in a community in Orlando that had found safety

and community there,” she told Georgia Voice.

So when civic religious organization Faith In Public Life and anti-gun violence faith group Outcry Georgia approached her about holding a vigil at Saint Mark on the anniversary, she was quickly on board.

“It just seems really close to home for a lot of our congregation,” she said. “It’s one of those things that makes you stop and think that it was Orlando, but it could have been any of us.”

Along with Larocca-Pitts, speakers include Rev. Claudia Aguilar Rubalcava of Virginia-Highland Church, Rabbi Joshua Lesser of Congregation Bet Haverim and Rev. Caroline Magee of St Bede’s Episcopal Church. A bell will also be rung 49 times for each of the victims of the shooting.

Augusta church joins 49 Bells project In a similar vein, the One Orlando Alliance, a coalition of LGBT organizations in Central Florida, is asking congregations and religious leaders around the world – including Pope Francis – to take part in the 49 Bells commemoration. All participating churches will ring their bells 49 times at noon on the anniversary of the shooting. Faith communities that worship in a building without a bell can participate in the project by posting the number 49 on their outdoor signage.

“Bells are sacred. We toll them for death and we ring them for celebration,” said Maria Wright, mother of Pulse victim Jerry Wright, in a press release. “Many faith traditions use bells as they resound within our innermost being.”

Mayra Alvear, mother of Pulse victim Amanda Alvear, added, “As parents, we don’t want our children to be forgotten, and most importantly, we would love the support of spreading love, not hate, as a message for humankind.”

The One Orlando Alliance said only one church from Georgia has signed up for the 49 Bells commemoration – Unitarian Universalist Church of Augusta. Congregations wishing to join can go to www.oneorlandoalliance.org/49-bells for more information.

June 9, 2017 News 5

NATIONALNEWS

HIV/AIDS cuts in Trump budget called ‘shocking,’ ‘cruel’ CDC, NIH, Medicaid funding would be slashed; HIV/AIDS groups vow to fight

AIDS. It harkens back to the years of inaction under the Reagan administration that fueled the growth of the AIDS epidemic – an epidemic that has been far too costly in American lives and taxpayer dollars.”

By CHRIS JOHNSON, WASHINGTON BLADE courtesy of the National LGBTQ Media Association

Proponents of funding to combat HIV/ AIDS continue to express alarm over cuts to federal programs, which in some cases are massive, in the budget proposal that President Trump unveiled May 23 amid questions of whether Congress will agree to the reductions.

Carl Schmid, deputy director of the AIDS Institute, said the decrease in funding for HIV/AIDS proposed in the Trump administration’s $4.1 trillion budget request was “pretty shocking” after years of bipartisan agreement to confront the disease.

“We always think there are ways to improve, ways to change things, we’re open to that,” Schmid said. “We’re not one of the people that say, ‘No, no, no.’ But I don’t think cutting the budget this drastically is a way to change things.”

The budget blueprint unveiled in March by the White House Office of Management & Budget indicated proposed cuts for HIV screening and research, but Schmid said the extent of cuts in the budget was a surprise.

CDC, NIH funding would be slashed Among the more drastic cuts is a $186 million reduction in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funding for HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, STIs and TB prevention. A full $150 million of the reduction would come from HIV/AIDS prevention programs.

“We would have probably a million fewer HIV tests because of that and we don’t know how many more people will become [HIV] positive and not get the messages,” Schmid said.

Although the CDC doesn’t provide pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, as a means of HIV prevention, the agency conducts education on the medication, which could be impaired as a result of the cuts, Schmid said.

For research, on the chopping block is the

Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney is promoting a budget that makes HIV funding cuts. (Photo by Gage Skidmore; courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

National Institutes of Health, which handles HIV/AIDS research for the federal government and was working on a cure under President Obama. The budget seeks a massive $7.2 billion reduction to NIH generally and a $550 million reduction to HIV/AIDS research specifically, according to the AIDS Institute.

“We never thought it would be at this magnitude,” Schmid said. “It’s around 19 percent of all HIV prevention funding would be cut. We knew that they were going to cut research, but it’s around 17 percent.”

The budget blueprint identified the Ryan White Health Care Act as a high priority, but the budget also contains some rollbacks for the programs it supports – providing assistance to low-income people with HIV/ AIDS, and funding for AIDS globally.”

For Ryan White, the budget seeks a $59 million reduction to the program as a result of cutting $34 million from programs for children, youth, women and families and $25 million for programs of special significance.

Schmid said the program cuts under the proposed budget aren’t direct services programs to ensure low-income people have access to HIV/AIDS medication, but training programs aimed at gay men, transgender women and people of color.

“Most Ryan White funding does go out to grants for direct services and health care medications, things like that, but this is ways to improve and to train people, especially in a changing environment,” Schmid said.

Trans women of color among affected groups As pointed out by the LGBT group GLAAD, among the programs of special significance is an initiative that seeks to enhance HIV service delivery interventions for transgender women of color at nine delivery sites throughout the country.

“This budget would pull the rug from under some of America’s most marginalized communities, including transgender women of color, at a time when they need our help the most,” GLAAD CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said. “President Trump’s budget is heartless and the latest example of the administration working to systematically erase LGBTQ Americans from the fabric of this nation.”

Consistent with the Republican plan to repeal and replace Obamacare, the budget proposal also seeks to eliminate $800 billion in Medicaid. That’s a major source of assistance for people with HIV/AIDS because an estimated 40 percent of them are on Medicaid.

Doug Wirth, CEO of the New York-based health care nonprofit Amida Care, said in a statement the cuts to HIV/AIDS programs proposed in the budget are “unprecedented” and “represent a cruel and callous attack on millions of hard-working Americans.”

“Funding for health care is not just a number on a balance sheet – for many people, it’s a matter of life and death,” Wirth said. “These ruthless cuts will reverse our hard-earned progress in the fight against

‘We’re going to fight it’ Defending the budget proposal at the White House after it was unveiled, Director of the Office of Management & Budget Mick Mulvaney said the request is a “taxpayer-first budget” because it takes into account the effectiveness of government programs.

“Compassion needs to be on both sides of that equation,” Mulvaney said. “Yes, you have to have compassion for folks who are receiving the federal funds, but also you have to have compassion for the folks who are paying it. And that is one of the things that is new about this president’s budget.”

Mulvaney also downplayed the cuts to Medicaid, saying the administration’s proposals would return authority to the states and wouldn’t be as steep as estimated.

“There are no Medicaid cuts in terms of what ordinary human beings would refer to as a cut,” Mulvaney said. “We are not spending less money one year than we spent before.

What we are doing is growing Medicaid more slowly over the 10-year budget window than the Congressional Budget Office says that we should or says that we will under current law.”

It remains to be seen whether Congress — which has ultimate authority over the purse — will agree to the cuts, although with both chambers under Republican control and seeking to reduce federal government, that seems likely.

Schmid said HIV/AIDS advocates are bringing the fights against the cuts to Capitol Hill, hoping the historic bipartisan support for HIV/ AIDS funding would restore at least some funds.

“Ryan White and everything is bipartisan and there’s more and more people in program than before,” Schmid said. “So, we’re going to fight it. I think we have a receptive audience on the Hill, but he is the president, and the way they deal, it seems they go big and then they get something, so we are concerned that NIH will be cut. We are concerned in the end, that CDC HIV prevention will be cut. We are concerned in the end that Ryan White could possibly see cuts, but we’re going to fight that.”

6 News June 9, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

GEORGIANEWS

Gay Atlanta man launches bid for late Joan Garner’s seat

By PATRICK SAUNDERS psaunders@thegavoice.com

Gay Atlanta civic activist Josh McNair is a lifelong Georgian and Morehouse graduate.

(Photo via McNair campaign)

Josh McNair, a gay Atlanta resident and Democrat, announced on June 6 his bid for the Fulton County Commission District 4 seat. The post was held by beloved County Commissioner Joan Garner until her death in April from cancer.

“I’m running because I believe it’s time we restore pride in being a resident of Fulton County. We live in the largest county in our state: for me, that means every one of our residents should enjoy top-quality county services,” McNair said in a press release. “I have spent many years as a progressive leader in Fulton County. From working to elect Democratic candidates around the state to serving as an officer of my neighborhood association, I am prepared to do what it takes to tackle our issues and im-

prove our communities.”

McNair, a lifelong Georgian, graduated from Newnan High School in 2002 and went on to attend Morehouse College, which he graduated from in 2006. He worked as a consultant for multinational accounting firm Deloitte before switching careers to healthcare sales, where he presently works as a virology clinical consultant for Monogram Biosciences, a biotechnology laboratory that develops diagnostic products to improve the treatment of HIV and Hepatitis C. McNair served as the finance chair for Young Democrats of Atlanta, public safety chair for NPU-T and is currently first vice president of the West End Neighborhood Development. He is also a member of the Gentleman’s Foundation, an Atlanta nonprofit organization that supports gay and bisexual men of color.

The election for the District 4 seat takes place Nov. 7.

Garner took office in 2011, with her wife, Fulton County State Court Judge Jane Morrison by her side. She quickly became known as “the health commissioner,” won reelection in 2014 and again last November. She revealed her cancer diagnosis in July 2015. Garner was the co-founder of Southerners On New Ground, the city’s first LGBT liaison (for the late Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson), served on the boards of Lambda Legal and the Gay and Lesbian Task Force, was a co-convener of the Atlanta African-American Lesbian Gay Alliance, was an organizer for the first Human Rights Campaign dinner in Atlanta and had a strong commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS, co-founding the Fulton County Task Force on HIV/AIDS, among numerous other initiatives.

“

Life is about balances. We like to have fun, but we take steps to stay healthy, too. We’re testing for HIV.

WE’RE

”

DOING IT Testing for HIV #DoingIt Testing is Fast, Free, and Confidential cdc.gov/DoingIt www.thegeorgiavoice.com

June 9, 2017 News 7

NEWSBRIEFS Atlanta has its first openly gay police chief Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields came out in an interview with Atlanta Magazine.

The revelation is part of a profile on the Chief in its June 2017 issue.

“In the waning months of a lame duck mayor’s term, a time when other city officials are packing their boxes or polishing their résumés, Shields, the APD’s first openly gay chief and the second woman to lead the force, is chipping away at an ambitious agenda for the 1,850-officer department,” the story read.

Shields was appointed chief in December

by Mayor Kasim Reed. When the new Atlanta mayor is elected this November, they will have the option of keeping her on or of following a decades-long tradition of appointing their own chief.

Prior to becoming chief, Shields rose up the ranks of APD, previously serving as the supervisor for its LGBT liaisons while she was chief of staff.

Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields quietly came out as gay in an Atlanta Magazine profile this month. (Official photo)

ATL City Council President signs LGBT rainbow crosswalks petition Atlanta mayoral candidate and City Council President Ceasar Mitchell supports the movement to install permanent rainbow crosswalks at 10th and Piedmont in Midtown.

Mitchell added his name to the list of more than 20,600 individuals who signed a Care2 petition on May 23, the Atlanta Journal-ConstituCity Council President tion reported.

Ceasar Mitchell The petition was started in April by Sarah Rose, an Atlanta-based musician who also serves as Care2’s social media coordinator and LGBT issues advocate. The desired crosswalks, implemented in time for Pride, will include both the pink, white and blue of the transgender pride flag as well as the iconic rainbow.

In October 2015, Atlanta was home to temporary such fixtures. Mayor Kasim Reed cited safety concerns and state regulations as reasons for not allowing the crosswalks to be permanent. Earlier moves to have the crosswalks painted each year for Pride demonstrated it would be more

cost-effective to have the rainbows be permanent, according to a Facebook post by the group responsible for the 2015 decorations.

Rose reacted to Mitchell’s signature by saying it shows he and the Atlanta city Council are listening to the LGBT community. As people add their signatures online, they’re asked to share why this cause is important to them. Though full names are not displayed — only first name and last initial, unless a signer chooses anonymity — it appears as though several other metro-area leaders may have added their support.

“It is time for the city of Atlanta to signal to residents and visitors that we support and embrace the LGBTQ community,” a petitioner listed as Lock W. said, and a supporter named Rafer J. said, “As an LGBTQ leader, I want residents and visitors to feel welcome and equal. This goes a long way to recognize the large local LGBTQ community.”

Several Atlanta mayoral candidates, when asked by a CBS reporter, responded to the news on Twitter.

“I support rainbow crosswalks or some commemoration at 10th/Piedmont. A great way to acknowledge an area important to the ATL LGBT community,” out candidate Cathy Woolard tweeted.

Candidates Alex Barrella and Keisha Lance Bottoms also indicated their support.

Lambda Legal condemns appointment of Valerie Huber On June 6, Valerie Huber, a leader in the movement against science-based sex education in schools, was appointed as chief of staff to the assistant secretary for health in the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Sharon McGowan, director of strategy for Lambda Legal, calls the appointment a “dangerous choice.”

“Her history of pushing anti-LGBTQ propaganda in schools is despicable and disqualifying,” McGowan said in a news release. “Ascend, the organization of which Huber is at the helm, pushes inaccurate, dangerous and irresponsible information about LGBT students.

According to one document produced by Ascend, educators are discouraged from affirming a transgender student’s gender identity.”

That’s something that various studies show can lead to isolation, harassment, violence and even suicide, she said.

“As demonstrated by her record, Huber is just the latest addition to the Trump administration’s roster of science-denialists. By continuing to promote moralistic abstinence-only approaches to sexual health, Huber cares more about promoting her own religious views rather than advancing public health,” McGowan continued. “Study after study shows us that honest sex education that is rooted in science and free of stigma creates the best outcome for young people and public health.”

8 News June 9, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

www.thegeorgiavoice.com

June 9, 2017 Ads 9

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10 Outspoken June 9, 2017

“I looked out the left side of the bus just as we pulled up to the main drag – S. Orange Ave. When I turned to my right, there it was. That black sign. The white font. Pulse.”

I was anxious. I kept up a steady conversation with the reporter next to me to keep my mind busy as the shuttle bus rumbled down I-4. What would it feel like to be there … like, actually there where it all happened?

It was March and I was in Orlando for an LGBT journalists conference. The day started with panel discussions on the shooting.

We knew it would be a rough conversation when conference organizers walked around putting boxes of Kleenex on all the tables before it began.

The first panel consisted of reporters who covered the shooting on the ground in Orlando. Almost everyone in the room, me included, reported on it from afar. So the reporters on the panel were there to tell us what it was like. What did they see? What did they learn?

None of them made it through their stories without reaching for the Kleenex.

After that was another speaker, this time a survivor, Ricardo Negron-Almodovar. He told us eloquently and thoughtfully about being badgered by reporters like us.

“When we’re going through that, we’re not thinking about your deadline. We don’t care about your deadline,” he said. “It was too much. It was honestly too much.”

He also talked about how a lot of LGBT media outlets were reporting that it was an attack on an LGBT club, but didn’t mention that it was Latin night, and how Latin media outlets reported that it was Latin night, but didn’t mention that it was an LGBT club.

People who shared one of his identities didn’t want to claim another of his identities. He explained how that felt. I shook his hand and thanked him afterward.

That evening it was onto the shuttle. We weren’t going there to report, only to pay our respects. While I was busy chatting with my

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seatmate, I noticed we were getting off the exit.

I looked out the left side of the bus just as we pulled up to the main drag – S. Orange Ave. When I turned to my right, there it was. That black sign. The white font. Pulse.

All the chatter turned quickly to complete silence. We pulled up in front of the club and got out. A gate wrapped around the entire property, with banners covering it so no one can see anything but the roof. Covering the banners were messages from people all over the world. “Love from Germany.” “Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times if one remembers to turn on the light.” “Be yourself. Always.”

I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on what it’s like to stand 20 feet from where 49 people were killed and another 58 wounded. My main takeaway is that I’m glad I went.

We must see what hate did. We need to go there whether it’s an LGBT club in Orlando, a skyscraper in New York or a church in Charleston. We have to go there to pay our respects, really feel what happened there and give ourselves time to think about it.

It won’t make a mass killing any less tragic if we don’t go. But it can definitely open up a door of insight previously closed.

Re: “Ryan Lee: Mann in the mirror,” May 26 “You have as usual spoken the ‘gospel’ truth. Thank you for speaking plainly and honestly!”

-Rev. Paul M. Turner via www.thegeorgiavoice.com Re: “Atlanta has its first openly gay police chief,” June 1 “So proud of her.”

-Mia Smith via Facebook “Who cares if she is gay. If it does not interfere with the job then she is fine with me.”

-Anson Peterson via Facebook Re: “Ashleigh Atwell: Queer TV, movie characters deserve better,” June 2 “She should speak at ClexaCon next year!”

-Holly James via Facebook Want to be featured in Feedback? Leave a comment to a story via social media or on our website, or email editor@thegavoice.com with the subject line “Feedback.” www.thegeorgiavoice.com

OUT IN THE WILD

By Simon Williamson

I find it hard to be forgiving Simon Williamson lives with his husband in heteronormatively-assimilative fashion in Athens, after a year of surviving rural Georgia.

My cousin, about 15 years older than me, who grew up under the real throngs of apartheid South Africa, the rails of which were lubricated by ideology similar to what you know of the American South, was really surprised that I came out to him so late in my life. He genuinely was concerned that he had left me with some impression that he didn’t like gay people, and he turned out to not really give a shit; he has been nothing but lovely to me and my husband, whom I have been with for over seven years.

He isn’t gay and didn’t really hang around gay people. He doesn’t seem to have many LGBT friends from what I can ascertain, and he grew up in a small farming town in a rural province, and then a small conservative city.

People like him make me quite unsympathetic to the argument that “people don’t know any better.” I really just struggle to buy at all that people have not considered the wants and needs of the people they are discriminating against through both the law and their own actions. Apartheid South Africa (and to be fair, free South Africa), are very conservative places, yet my cousin didn’t fall for the bigotry you’re expected to show toward LGBT people in a society run by white supremacist Christian fundamentalists. How can there be any excuse for those who decide to jump on board with bigotry?

Similar to contemporary America, I refuse to buy into the fact that people hold these ridiculous points of view about African-

“In this day and age, there is so much information at our fingertips that if you don’t know better, it is because you have chosen to not know better.”

Americans, Hispanics, immigrants, LGBT people, women, people who have AIDS, the disabled, people who live in trailer parks and whoever else, because “they don’t know better.” In this day and age, there is so much information at our fingertips that if you don’t know better, it is because you have chosen to not know better.

If you think that Christianity and LGBT people are incompatible, a simple Google search will offer you thousands of results of LGBT Christians and churches. That AfricanAmericans don’t value work? This information doesn’t exist outside those who really wish to think it. That Hispanic people are stealing your jobs? Google their unemployment rate.

We should stop apologizing for them, and

rather view these people as those who want to hold these disgusting points of view that aim to get gays thrown out of jobs, blacks out of the neighborhood, Hispanics equated with illegality, trans people out of public life and who see women as something to kick around.

Those who toe the line of these popular stances in many parts of our state don’t get to pretend they have never heard an alternative. They own these ideas and we should stop excusing them by saying they are “sheltered” – it is on them that they are sheltered. If they wanted to know what they were talking about they would go and find out.

But they don’t. They want to keep on hating us. And we let them get away with it by pretending they are incapable of anything else.

On June 20th, vote Jon Ossoff for Congress.

Washington should be accountable to you.

www.ElectJon.com

jonossoff

@ossoff

Paid for by Jon Ossoff for Congress www.thegeorgiavoice.com

June 9, 2017 Outspoken 11

COMMUNITY

AGLCC LGBT Business Summit to explore rise of ‘rainbow economy’ Panel discussions with local and national business leaders, mayoral forum on tap

“Sometimes there are those that don’t see the need, but it’s important that we stand and be counted. There’s power in information, there’s power in coming together and there’s power in identifying.”

By DIONNE N. WALKER When it comes to finding LGBT-owned businesses to support in Atlanta, one doesn’t have to look far. From seasoned city staples like Charis Books & More to relative newcomers like Henry’s Midtown Tavern, there are countless local business owners hoisting the rainbow flag.

Yet despite all of that visibility, a surprising fact remains. Just 44 businesses in Georgia are registered as LGBT Businesses Enterprises, a national designation that qualifies companies to compete for the type of big-ticket corporate contracts that can take them to the next level.

It’s an imbalance that rankles Daniel Dunlop, newly-named president of the Atlanta Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, who is charged with promoting economic growth and development among the city’s LGBT-owned businesses. The group’s response: A day-long summit designed to bring LGBT businesses and corporations together to network, assess the region’s LGBT economy and discuss their role in helping rainbow commerce thrive in Atlanta.

Rise of the Rainbow Economy: The 2017 AGLCC LGBT Business Summit will take place June 23 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Midtown. Organizers expect 250 business owners to turn out for a day of panel discussions and workshops, with business giants like Coke, Georgia Power and Wells Fargo.

The event also includes a mayoral panel moderated by journalist Maria Saporta. Five out of nine mayoral candidates are expected to attend, Dunlop said.

The event is a first for the chamber.

“It’s been in the plans for the last couple of years,” Dunlop said, adding that a minigrant won last summer helped crystallize plans. “We wanted to just bring together any areas of the economic force – business and personal consumption and policy advocacy.”

Indeed, the event is billed as a seminar

—AGLCC President Dan Dunlop on the benefits of registering as an LGBT Business Enterprise

AGLCC President Dan Dunlop said one of the goals of the LGBT Business Summit is to encourage companies to recognize the value of identifying as LGBT-owned.

(Photo courtesy Dan Dunlop)

“exploring the intersectionality of personal, professional and social responsibility and advocacy.” It’s a broad field to cover and Dunlop acknowledged the event would be only a first step.

“We can’t obviously deep dive in one afternoon,” he said. “But we are touching on some important parts that bring together the whole rise of the rainbow economy.”

Georgia has fifth-most registered LGBTBEs That economy is booming, according to a January report from the National Gay

and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce that estimated the nation’s roughly 1.4 million LGBT businesses contributed nearly $2 trillion to the national economy in 2015.

Less impressive is the number of businesses registered as LGBT Business Enterprises – LGBTBEs – through the national chamber. Nationwide, just over 900 businesses have the registration, which qualifies them to compete for business under diverse supplier initiatives at some of the nation’s largest companies.

Georgia has the fifth-highest number of registered LGBTBEs in the nation, but

Dunlop sees potential for many more.

The group hopes to double registries over the next few years by encouraging businesses to recognize the value of identifying as LGBT-owned.

“Sometimes there are those that don’t see the need, but it’s important that we stand and be counted,” he said. “There’s power in information, there’s power in coming together and there’s power in identifying.”

Dunlop said some businesses are discouraged by the extensive, multi-level verification process required to get the certification. Still others aren’t sure how they could market their services to corporations even if they were registered.

The June event will feature tips for kicking off conversations with corporate entities as well as ways to make your smaller business more appealing. He gave the example of a niche production company partnering with a caterer to pursue an opportunity.

“It becomes a stronger, inclusive contract, to be able to compete at that level,” he said.

“We’re going to be telling that story – to look for those like-minded services.”

Though the process of registering is extensive, business owners will quickly realize the value, said Billy Cochran, vice president CONTINUES ON PAGE 13

12 Community June 9, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

COMMUNITY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12 of TP Corporate Lodging, in Norcross. The company is a registered LGBTBE and he said they have already seen a bump in business as a result.

“There are businesses looking to spend with these [LGBT] companies,” said Cochran, who will be at the event. “This is a place to go and learn how that can happen, as well as network.”

Cochran said he was heartened by how often he’s begun seeing company procurement processes including a checkbox for LGBT-owned.

“You never really know what’s going to bring you business and if you look at the return on investment for the time and energy it takes to get that certification verses taking out an ad – this is definitely going to be a better return on your investment,” he said.

Until laws change, Dunlop said LGBT business owners have to focus on creating support at the corporate level and even among local lawmakers, like the five mayoral candidates expected to attend.

Those who had accepted the invite, as of the first week in June, include former City of Atlanta COO Peter Aman, Atlanta City Councilmember Keisha Lance Bottoms,

Fulton County Commission Chairman John Eaves, former Atlanta City Council President Cathy Woolard and current Atlanta City Council President Ceasar Mitchell.

The candidates will be there to discuss their vision for the city economy as well as lay out their plans for supporting the business community as a whole and LGBT businesspersons in particular.

T:7.458”

Until laws change at the state level, Dunlop said it’s critical that the LGBT business community find support at the municipal level.

“There’s a lot of legislation that can affect LGBT business and we just want to hear what their thoughts are,” he said, later adding, “We’re not looking to have an advantage, we’re looking to have an even playing field.”

Looking for an even playing field The conversations are particularly important when it comes to high-profile events with millions of dollars in potential business. For local LGBT businesses, one of the biggest upcoming opportunities lies in the Super Bowl, expected to draw countless football fans – and their dollars – to Atlanta in 2019 “Our fellow chamber in San Francisco, for Super Bowl 50, they were successful in helping their LGBT community gain 18 contracts with the NFL host committee,” said Dunlop, adding members from that chamber will share tips for their success at the June 23 event.

But LGBT business issues aren’t limited to getting big contracts. Dunlop pointed out that a lack of state-level protection means Atlanta LGBT businesses are still vulnerable to discrimination by everybody from landlords to loan officers.

Details

Rise of the Rainbow Economy: The 2017 AGLCC LGBT Business Summit Friday, June 23, 1 - 5 p.m. with reception following Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta, 75 14th St. NE, Atlanta, GA 30309 Registration costs vary www.business.atlantagaychamber.org www.thegeorgiavoice.com

Speak volumes We hear you loud and proud. Experience the vast collection of LGBTQ movies and shows on XFINITY X1.

Check out the LGBTQ Film & TV collection on XFINITY On Demand, or just say “Pride” or “LGBTQ” into the X1 Voice Remote to discover fresh, new entertainment that speaks to you – all year long.

Restrictions apply. Not available in all areas. ©2017 Comcast. All rights reserved.

June 9, 2017 Community 13

“Hey HIV —— understand this —— we’re living together but I give the orders.”

Ashley - Atlanta, GA Living with HIV since 2006.

Being in the military prepared me for a lot of things, but not my HIV diagnosis. I found it difficult to take medication every day.

Fortunately, with the help of my doctor at the VA, taking my medicine is just another part of my morning routine, brush my teeth, wash my face, and take my meds. By sticking to my medication, doctor visits and support groups, I stay healthy and happy. As a support group leader, now I’m helping others to get into their own routine.

HIV

TREATMENT

WORKS

Get in care. Stay in care. Live well. cdc.gov/HIVTreatmentWorks

PHOTO GALLERY

East Point Possums’ last hurrah It was “bad drag doing good” one more time as the East Point Possums held their 20th and final show on June 3. Proceeds from the event went to Lost-n-Found Youth. (Photos by Jean Bartlett)

16 Community June 9, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

HEALTH

AND

SEX BELONG TOGETHER

Healthysexuals

DON’T RUSH

You’ve got prevention options. Find what fits.

VISIT AND TALK TO A HEALTHCARE PROVIDER

HEALTHYSEXUAL, GILEAD, and the GILEAD Logo are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc. © 2017 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. UNBC3909 01/17

UNBC3909_B_10x10-5_GeorgiaVoice_DontRush_p2.indd 1

5/24/17 4:51 PM

STONEWALL CELEBRATION

LGBT trolley takes Atlantans on ‘living history’ tour Touching Up Our Roots to host second historical adventure on June 17

By DALLAS ANNE DUNCAN dduncan@thegavoice.com Pride Month is not only a time to celebrate the strides made by the LGBT community, but a time to honor the pioneers and places of its history.

This month, Touching Up Our Roots organized two trolley tours to ensure those things never get forgotten. The first tour on June 4 covered important spots in Downtown and Midtown Atlanta, as well as Little 5 Points. On June 17, tour participants will be treated to a venture down the Cheshire Bridge corridor.

The tours center on the two “epicenters” of Atlanta’s LGBT community, said Dave Hayward, founder of Touching Up Our Roots.

“I don’t know exactly why, but 10th and Piedmont, that intersection is one of the first places where we could have openly LGBT businesses. It was kind of like the speakeasy, Prohibition era before that — people tell me what it was like before the ’60s, it was like you wouldn’t necessarily know that was a bar,” Hayward said. “The whole Cheshire Bridge corridor is one of the most important places in our history where we could have openly LGBT establishments. When we go on Cheshire Bridge, a lot of those places are still there. Some of them have morphed — there was a big gay bar, show palace called the Magic Garden; now that’s the Onyx, a straight male strip club.”

In between tour stops, participants were treated to nuggets of knowledge and LGBT history from the pioneers who lived it. Hayward was joined on June 4 by lesbian activist Maria Helena Dolan and fellow historian and advocate Gil Robison, who chimed in to share their experiences and favorite stories. During the first tour, attendees saw the new location of the AIDS Quilt, heard stories about the feminist lesbians’ role in organizing anti-discrimination rallies, visited LGBT-friendly churches and listened to tales of bars and people long gone, but always in our hearts.

“One of the things that is kind of sad and funny is that you drive around town and it’s like, ‘Well, that’s where that was. And it’s not there now, but take our word for it,’” Hayward said.

One of those was The Tower.

A crowd of people, including organizer Dave Hayward and activists Gil Robison and Maria Helena Dolan (center three), braved torrential downpours for a trolley tour of LGBT historic spots in Downtown, Midtown and Little 5 Points on June 4. (Photo by Dallas Anne Duncan)

“It’s our story brought to life. You’ve heard of it and here it is, in living color, three-dimensional. A lot of times you wouldn’t know that because so many of those places are there no longer, or have become something else entirely.”

—Dave Hayward, founder of Touching Up Our Roots “The Tower is what people called the ‘Dyke Dungeon.’ It wasn’t wholesome-looking, but that’s one of the things that we liked,” Dolan said. “You could sit in a booth and talk and carry on, and I had sex in the bathroom once — it was someone I knew!

— and you could dance in the back. It was very sad that it’s no longer there. It’s been bulldozed, because in Atlanta we can’t keep anything. We have to put big buildings up.”

A ‘culturally enriching’ experience The tour brought together participants of all backgrounds, ages and genders. Most were from Atlanta, but Margaret Tatum, who is in town for the summer from Maryland, found out about the tours through a social media search, looking to get acquainted with the LGBT community in her temporary hometown.

Joshua Lorenz, president of the Metro Atlanta Association of Professionals, was also on the trolley.

“It’s going to be a very culturally enriching experience,” he said. “It’s good to know our history. It’s good to know where we came from. It’s good to know the challenges we’ve come through as a community.”

The idea for the tour arose last year.

“We’ve been doing history stuff over the years and I noticed last year, when we were doing ‘Our Founding Valentines,’ we were talking originally about giving credit to people who were doing things,” Hayward said.

A fellow activist suggested they do something similar to Creative Loafing’s history tour and scavenger hunt, so Touching Up Our Roots partnered with both Atlanta Pride and the LGBT Institute to make it happen.

In 2016, the group only held one tour, and

Details

Touching Up Our Pride Roots trolley tour Saturday, June 17 at 1 p.m.

Departs from the Center for Civil and Human Rights 100 Ivan Allen Jr. Blvd., Atlanta, GA Parking: $10 at the World of Coke parking deck Tickets: $15 www.lgbtinstitute.org/history-tour expanded the route to two for 2017.

“It’s our story brought to life. You’ve heard of it and here it is, in living color, three-dimensional,” Hayward said. “A lot of times you wouldn’t know that because so many of those places are there no longer, or have become something else entirely. For example, the strip bars on Cheshire Bridge that were once a LGBT strip place.”

Dolan, who rode the tour appropriately dressed in a Wonder Woman T-shirt, likened the political climate to DC Comics’ Bizarro World.

“People have been put into place to destroy what we’ve built up, and we can’t allow it,” she said.

18 Stonewall Celebration June 9, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

STONEWALL CELEBRATION

Packed schedule of events lined up for Stonewall Month Charis, the Atlanta Queer Literary Festival and Atlanta Pride will celebrate Stonewall by reading from works by queer literary ancestors including Langston Hughes, Gloria Anzaldua, Amy Lowell, Audre Lorde, Justin Chin, Leslie Feinberg, Adrienne Rich, Truman Capote, Edna St. Vincent Millay, James Baldwin, The Lady Chablis and more.

Suggested donation is $5.

By PATRICK SAUNDERS psaunders@thegavoice.com Pride should always be celebrated yearround, but June is an especially momentous time as it marks the month in 1969 when Greenwich Village’s LGBT community fought back against police after a raid on the Stonewall Inn. Though Georgia’s largest Pride event – Atlanta Pride – isn’t until October, that doesn’t mean there aren’t a number of events coming up this month to honor the anniversary.

Sylvia Rivera Day of Service Saturday, June 10 from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Latin American Association www.facebook.com/ events/653976164810564 Atlanta Pride and community volunteers host the annual Sylvia Rivera Day of Service at the Latin American Association. Rivera was a transgender activist and founding member of the Gay Liberation Front and the Gay Activists Alliance who died in 2002. Participants in the Day of Service will organize the Association’s clothing and food donation areas and then enjoy lunch together. RSVP by emailing jamie@atlantapride.org and placing “day of service” in the subject line.

South Georgia Pride Picnic Saturday, June 10 from 1 – 4 p.m.

John W. Saunders Park (Valdosta) www.facebook.com/ events/1775797262731114 South Georgia Pride will grill up burgers and hotdogs for people in this Valdosta park to celebrate Stonewall Month. There’s also a kickball game in the works, and organizers encourage people to bring their kids. The event is free, but there is a $5 suggested donation.

Atlanta Equality March Sunday, June 11 from 12 – 2 p.m.

Piedmont Park www.facebook.com/ events/1954046728175056 My Sister’s Room hosts this march in solidarity with the LGBT Equality marches happening in Washington, D.C. that day and around the world. Marchers will gather in the field in front of Park Tavern at noon, and flags, banners and signs are encouraged. A fundraiser for Georgia Equality will occur af-

www.thegeorgiavoice.com

Atlanta Dream Pride Night Friday, June 23 at 7:30 p.m.

See story on page 20 for more details Atlanta Braves LGBT Night Friday, June 23 at 7:35 p.m.

See story on page 24 for more details

The annual Pride Run & Walk takes place in Piedmont Park on June 17. (Photo by Stan Fong) ter the march, with details to be announced.

Free Screening of “Jewel’s Catch One” Wednesday, June 14 from 7 – 10 p.m.

Phillip Rush Center Annex www.facebook.com/ events/214703125713661 Atlanta Pride and Out On Film present this free screening of the documentary “Jewel’s Catch One,” about the oldest black-owned disco in America which was also a refuge for many during the AIDS crisis. The film also establishes the legacy of businesswoman, activist and healer Jewel Thais-Williams.

MAAP My Point: Stonewall Thursday, June 15 at 7 p.m.

Google Fiber in Ponce City Market www.maapatl.org/event-calendar LGBT business group Metro Atlanta Association of Professionals celebrates Stonewall Month with Touching Up Our Roots and the Georgia LGBTQ Archives Project with a presentation of landmarks and archival collection pieces important to the history of Georgia’s LGBT community. Entry fee is $15 and paid parking is available at Ponce City Market.

2017 Atlanta Pride Run & Walk Saturday, June 17 from 8 – 10 a.m.

Greystone at Piedmont Park www.facebook.com/ events/588613198014769

LGBT running club Front Runners Atlanta hosts the 27th annual 5K race, presented by Alta Midtown. $35 June registration closes June 14, with $40 registration available after that and on race day. Proceeds go to Joining Hearts.

Touching Up Our Pride Roots Trolley Tour Saturday, June 17 from 1 – 3 p.m.

See story on page 18 for more details Georgia Equality’s 13th Annual Evening For Equality Saturday, June 17 at 7:30 p.m.

InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta www.georgiaequality.org The 13th annual event includes a dinner reception where Equality Awards will be presented to those who have advanced the LGBT movement in the past year. This year’s honorees include HIV activist Daniel Driffin, the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus, PFLAG mother Jen Slipakoff and civic engagement nonprofit Pro-Georgia. Ticket prices vary.

Stonewall Reading Celebrating Our Literary Ancestors Wednesday, June 21 from 7:30 – 9 p.m.

Charis Books and More www.facebook.com/ events/745648555596140

Southwest Atlanta Pride June 23-25 Various Locations www.facebook.com/ events/1831777627141010 This second-annual event includes an artist showcase at Gallery 992 on Friday night, a VIP Pride brunch at Greens & Gravy restaurant on Saturday morning and fun, games and prizes in Adair Park on Sunday afternoon.

Stride Into Pride at Six Flags Over Georgia!

Saturday, June 24 Six Flags Over Georgia www.facebook.com/ events/1688823241414180 Atlanta Pride hosts a day of fun in the sun at Six Flags with a couple different promotions. Get all-day admission, a free lunch, ice cream social and dance party with DJ Canvas and free parking for $63.59, or for $42.39, you get all-day admission, free parking and the ice cream social and dance party. Use promo code PRIDE when ordering.

Augusta Pride June 24, 10:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Various Locatoins www.facebook.com/AugustaPride It’s the eighth annual Augusta Pride this year and the day starts with a Pride Parade at 10:30 a.m. in the Augusta Downtown Historic District, followed by a Pride festival at the Augusta Common and several after-parties.

June 9, 2017 Stonewall Celebration 19

LGBT SPORTS

Catching Up with … Layshia Clarendon Details

Out Atlanta Dream point guard talks this season, coming out and fulfilling dreams

Atlanta Dream Pride Night Friday, June 23 at 7:30 p.m.

Philips Arena www.dream.wnba.com/2017-dreampromotional-schedule/

By DALLAS ANNE DUNCAN dduncan@thegavoice.com

both sides of the gender spectrum.

Hopefully we can start to break down a lot of those barriers and homophobia that exist in sports.

Atlanta Dream point guard Layshia Clarendon, a native of San Bernadino, California, said she was born with a basketball in her hand. She followed in her sister’s footsteps and has been dribbling as long as she can remember.

“I think I played in my first league game when I was 6,” she said. “I played in a lot of co-ed leagues. They never passed me the ball, so my dad was like, once you get it you have to take it and not give it back.”

After playing college ball at University of California-Berkeley, Clarendon was picked up by the WNBA team Indiana Fever, where she played for several years before being traded to the Dream last year.

Now a point guard in her second season in Atlanta, Clarendon just signed a three-year contract extension securing her position on the team — and in the city’s LGBT community — for this season and two more.

What was it like coming to Atlanta from Indianapolis? How were you able to grow as a player?

It’s a big city, so that’s been a really big difference coming from Indiana. Atlanta’s huge and it’s actually one of the places I’d never visited. I played some in the WNBA against Atlanta, but I’d never been here on my own.

The style of basketball that Atlanta plays is really up-tempo and I really like it. We’re really a more defensive-oriented team. We want to get a lot of shots up. It’s a different style of shots than Indiana, which was more gridded out defensively and offensively.

I play the point guard, which I think is the hardest position to play. I think I’m not being biased — I think a lot of people would agree. It’s the person who usually gets blamed for everything and has to control the pace and the tempo of the game. … You’re like, “I’m being guarded too and trying to do all these things at once.” You’re just kind of a general floor leader and it’s a position

How receptive do you think the WNBA is to accepting out athletes?

I think it depends on when you ask that question. I think that today, they’re doing a good job.

We have a new president with Lisa Borders, and we’re doing a much better job at being more inclusive overall. I think that’s more reflective of society as well, and we’re moving in the right direction. Historically, it’s been really hard.

Out basketball star Layshia Clarendon just signed a new three-year contract to play for the Atlanta Dream. (Photo courtesy Atlanta Dream)

you have to have a lot of poise to be good at.

Outside of basketball, the diversity and the culture and the food is amazing.

So your second season just started.

What are you most excited about?

I was really excited to come to camp and [be] settled. Finally getting off the rookie contract was nice. It was nice to kind of come back and not have the stress of, “Am I going to be traded again?” I could take a deep breath and know what was coming, and I know my teammates really well. The coaches and the staff really believe in me and I’m a lot excited to be a leader on the team this year.

Now that you’re in Hotlanta, how have you been active in the LGBT community here?

I’m just getting my feet wet with Atlanta.

Getting traded here last year was really difficult. We had the Pride game last year, but we didn’t do a ton of events around it. I’ve talked with some of the Pride organizations in Atlanta to see where I can get involved and get connected. So far, it’s trying to find my footing.

The Dream isn’t the only Atlanta team with a history of hosting Pride nights — the Hawks had a Unity Night last fall and the Braves have one this month. What do you think about the increased show of support from professional teams to their LGBT fans?

I think it’s amazing. I think, especially for the men’s side to start doing it — the women have oftentimes led the movement and have been more accepting — to see the MLB get on board and the NBA start to get on board is really important, because it matters on

What was the process like for you coming out as an athlete?

I was pretty out at Cal, when I went to Berkeley. That’s a pretty easy place to be out.

It’s the hippie, peace-and-love Mecca.

As do a lot of people, I came out in layers.

It’s not always like this one-time thing where you come out and everybody knows. A lot of people come out to different people in their lives. I came out to my brother first, then my sister before my parents; then my mom and dad. He really struggled with it. Once I was out to my family, that was the most difficult part.

Do you have any advice for younger LGBT athletes, who may be struggling with the decision to come out?

It’s hard. I would say to make sure that you have a safe place to do it, because sometimes the LGBT community people can be kind of pushy. It’s not always safe to [come out] if your home life is threatened or if your parents are going to kick you out or if there’s a threat of physical violence. Do it on your own time.

My other advice would just be, you’re not alone. That’s why I’m a big role model and advocate. I’m here. I’m alive. I’m out, and I’m successful, and you can be too. If they do come out, whether they choose to or not, there’s people here fighting for them.

20 LGBT Sports June 9, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

LGBT SPORTS

Getting down and derby Georgia skating sirens share Did you know?

Roller Derby 101: Your quick what you need to know guide to not looking like a novice Blocker: The women who block the about your first bout opposing team’s scorer, trying to

By DALLAS ANNE DUNCAN dduncan@thegavoice.com A whole host of sports exist for women today, but none is quite so invigorating as Georgia roller derby.

“Anything you do on the track, [the crowd] is so excited about because it’s so different from any other sport they’ve ever seen,” said Liz Wise, president of the Muscogee Roller Girls in Columbus. “I think what amazes people the most is when we’re done knocking the hell out of each other on the track is we shake hands, we hug and we go have a beer together.”

The full-contact sport pits two groups of five women — four blockers and a scorer, called a jammer — against each other on a circular track. Jammers must pass blockers to score points.

“The opposing team will try to knock her down, stop her, try to keep her from scoring,” Wise said.

Today’s derby dames evolved from a nearly 90-year legacy of skating sirens. In the 1930s, the sport was like a skate-a-thon, then came back in the ‘60s and ’70s as a more theatrical endeavor, Wise said.

Derby in its modern form came out of Austin, Texas, in the early 2000s, less theatrical than the previous evolution — but they did keep the names.

I am woman — watch me roll Tess Harrison, better known as Baller Shot Caller, plays for the Atlanta Rollergirls.

She moved to Atlanta to be on the team.

“It was kind of the sisterhood I never had,” she said. “The team that I was on was ranked in the 100s, and the team here

Above: The Atlanta Rollergirls’ jammer attempts to break through the opposing team’s blockers to score. (Photo courtesy Jeremy Wren) Left: A recent bout kicks off for the Muscogee Roller Girls in Columbus, Georgia. (Photo courtesy EPA Photography)

prevent her from passing them

Bout: The name for a roller derby match-up Cutting the track: One of the top penalties for jammers. When she gets knocked out of bounds, a jammer is supposed to come back on the track behind the people who blocked her out.

Jammer: The person who scores points.

Wears a star on her helmet.

Lead jammer: The jammer who first pushes past the opposing team’s blockers. She can decide whether or not a jam will last the full two minutes allotted.

Panties: Helmet covers for the jammer and pivot, which feature a star.

Pivot: The second-in-command jammer, who takes over if the original player can’t get through the blockers.

How the sport works: Jammers have two-minute periods inside two 30-minute halves, in which they must pass the opposing team’s blockers as many times as possible. Each blocker passed is a point scored. The first jammer to pass the opposing blockers can decide whether a jam will last the full two minutes or if she wants to call it off early, a strategy employed by many teams. was No. 11. I’m captain of the No. 11 team in the world and I love it. We’re looking to break into the top 10 this year.”

Rebecca McAleer, an out jammer on the Middle Georgia Derby Demons, said derby is one of the few ways women can get together, let go and be themselves.

“It’s us cool, strong women being exactly what we want to be and we don’t have to apologize for it,” she said. “The atmosphere is really cool. Alcohol, have a good time being rowdy and excited. Our team tries to stay really family-friendly.”

She said many times, the team leaves without knowing the score, and the audience is always invited to after-parties.

“We have people that are moms over 40 that come out and destroy their bodies for this sport that they love. We have such a great community of skaters that are willing to help our community,” Harrison said.

Karen Glover, president of the Peach State Rollerderby League — which oversees both the Rome Rollergirls and the Marietta Derby Darlins — said most people won’t understand what happens during their first bout, but everyone enjoys watching.

“I really enjoy the way that we are setting an example for other girls and even for young men to show them that women can be out there, they’re playing a sport of all ages, of all body types, across all walks of life and they’re doing it well. I think it’s really important to show that women are strong and they can play a sport,” she said.

Lace up your skates Wise said some teams have tryouts, while others — especially newer or smaller teams

like hers — take all who want to be part.

And there are no background skating skills required, though some of the top derby athletes are former figure skaters.

New teammates learn how to skate if they don’t already know, then go through assessments learning proper contact and becoming scrimmage-ready.

“It’s a tough thing to go through, advancing through the assessments. A lot of laps, a lot of drills, a lot of footwork, a lot of things that are hard on your body,” Wise said. “I like to think our league is really good about teaching and training the ladies so they love the sport and don’t feel self-conscious about not knowing everything there is to know about derby when they start.”

McAleer said the hardest thing for her to learn was endurance, and keeping herself motivated.

“My derby family was there for me. They teach you how to do everything you don’t know,” she said. “You’re never struggling by yourself.”

And if being on the team is a little intimidating to start with, Glover said there are plenty of non-skating positions for leagues and teams.

“Derby girls in general have a lot of trouble with these preconceived notions that this is some theatrical notion of, we’re all out there in tutus and trying to clothesline each other,” McAleer said. “There are a lot of people who think we get out there to be silly and not mean it. But it’s athletic, and there’s no doubt about it.”

22 LGBT Sports June 9, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

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Atlanta Braves to host first LGBT Night at SunTrust Park Seventh-annual event a ‘welcoming environment’ for out fans, allies

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SunTrust Park will be a little more colorful on June 23.

That night, the Atlanta Braves will host its annual LGBT Night — complete with rainbow souvenirs.

Ben Nicoara, an Atlanta resident, attended the 2016 LGBT Night as part of the Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus, which was invited to sing at the event. He’s already got his tickets purchased for this year’s game, a first at the new stadium.

“I was a little surprised that that was even going on,” he said. “Last year they had a pregame event and there was food and drink and stuff, and the chorus performed there and a few people spoke. It was a very welcoming environment and space, which isn’t typical in sports.”

This year’s LGBT Night takes place against the Milwaukee Brewers. A portion of every ticket sold will benefit the homeless youth organization Lost-n-Found Youth, and folks can purchase a ticket package that includes a limited-edition rainbow-logo ball cap. There will also be a pre-game party with a cash bar at the Xfinity Rooftop, and Bravos fans are invited to chop after dark alongside the postgame fireworks.

Nicoara told Georgia Voice he thinks it’s important for LGBT fans and allies to come to Pride nights as a showing of support, and to stay visible.

“That’s the first step in getting people to understand and not be afraid about things they might not know,” he said. “While we’ve made some big advancements and fight for our rights, I think there’s still a lot to do, especially now after our change in our national government and some of the attitudes around that have not been great for us.”

He said during the game last year, when it was announced over the loudspeaker it was Pride night, the stadium filled with cheers.

“I didn’t hear anybody boo about it,” Nico-

The Atlanta Braves host its first-ever LGBT Night at the new SunTrust Park on June 23.

ATLiens can snap up limited edition rainbowlogo ball caps with the purchase of a special ticket package. (File photo)

Details

Atlanta Braves LGBT Night Friday, June 23 at 7:35 p.m.

SunTrust Park, 755 Battery Ave. SE Atlanta, GA 30339 LGBT Night ticket package: $32 Available at: www.m.mlb.com/braves/tickets/info/lgbt-night

ara said. “That just goes to show there’s more accepting sports fans than those that aren’t.”

The Braves aren’t the only Atlanta team that host an event to show support for LGBT fans — last year, the Hawks hosted a Unity Night, and the Atlanta Dream will also play a Pride Night game on June 23. Nicoara said he hopes Atlanta United, the city’s new soccer team, will join in, too.

Braves players recently made the news after coming on the field following an incident with a Toronto Blue Jays player who used a homophobic slur on Atlanta’s pitcher. Nicoara said he appreciated the team coming out against that rhetoric.

“It was really great to see our teams’ organizations really be aware of what’s going on and to make a statement about it, and change the mindset of people that understand what is and what’s not acceptable at sports matches,” he said.

24 LGBT Sports June 9, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

LGBT NIGHT TICKET PACKAGE FRIDAY, JUNE 23

LGBT SPORTS

Atlanta Hawks welcome LGBT, ally fans NBA team preps for upcoming seasons, Pride festivities

By DALLAS ANNE DUNCAN dduncan@thegavoice.com The sports arenas in Downtown Atlanta are in the midst of major changes — the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium swamps its next-door neighbor the Georgia Dome, and Philips Arena will soon undergo renovations of its own.

Philips, where Atlanta’s NBA team plays, will close for the summers in 2017 and 2018 for upgrades expected to take two years, but Hawks officials told Georgia Voice the team will play its regular 2017 to 2018 and 2018 to 2019 games in the Arena. The latter will also mark the Hawks’ 50th season in the city.

“Our goal is to ensure that our re-imagined Arena will be a venue that offers Southern hospitality and a warm welcome to all of our guests,” Nzinga Shaw, chief diversity and inclusion officer and SVP of community for the Hawks and Philips Are-

The Atlanta Hawks have participated in the Atlanta Pride parade for the past few years and created a custom float in last year’s parade. (Photo courtesy Becky Stein)

na, told Georgia Voice.

The $192.5 million re-imagination is jointly funded by the Hawks and the city of Atlanta, which put forth $142.5 million for the project, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Key to the renovations will be the removal of the bank of suites on one side of the arena, and adding 360-degree connected concourses at all

levels, improving sight lines and adding stateof-the-art video technology.

The Hawks, which signed an 18-year lease extension to remain in the Arena through 2016, finished this season with a 43-39 record, placing second in the division and fifth in the Eastern Conference, though the team lost in the first round of playoffs.

Shaw said the team is a regular at Atlanta Pride events.

“The Atlanta Hawks have shown our support of the LGBTQ community in many ways. For the past few years, we have participated in the annual Pride Parade, but more notably we created a custom float in October 2016,” Shaw said. “I’m hopeful that all sports leagues and teams across multiple platforms will be able to demonstrate acceptance and inclusion of their players and fans, regardless of sexual orientation.”

Last season, the Hawks hosted a Unity Night against the Cavaliers. According to the team website, the concept came from an internal forum in July “which followed a series of unsettling and alarming events around the nation during the summer.”

“The staff was challenged to think of ways the Hawks organization could unite the city and continue the positive and peaceful conversation taking place in Atlanta,” according to the site. “Within the forum, the consistent themes of community service, inclusion and using basketball as a change agent/unifier led to the creation of the event.”

During Unity Night, representatives from the Center for Civil and Human Rights addressed the crowd, and as a precursor, players volunteered with a number of service organizations.

“Fully supporting the LGBTQ community cannot be relegated to a ‘night,’ but rather it should be interwoven in all we do,” Hawks officials said. “The Atlanta Hawks do not have immediate plans to host an ‘LGBTQ Night.’ However, we are finding organic ways to show our support of this community, like partnering with the Atlanta Dream [the city’s WNBA team] in June 2017 for Pride Month by hosting community engagement activations across the city and integrating our fan experience elements into planned events.”

Falcons prepare for kickoff in new nest Mercedes-Benz Stadium construction soon to be completed

By DALLAS ANNE DUNCAN dduncan@thegavoice.com 2017 did not start out well for Atlanta’s football team.

In fact, when a portion of Interstate 85 collapsed in April, it was referred to by some on social media as “the second-biggest collapse in Atlanta this year.” The first, of course, a reference to the Falcons’ unfortunate loss in the Super Bowl to the New England Patriots.

But however badly the season ended, the Arthur Blank-owned birds are ready to kick off this fall in their brand-new home and start a new legacy in the ATL: Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Mercedes-Benz stadium, right, dwarfs the former home of the Atlanta Falcons, the Georgia Dome. The stadium will light up for its inaugural season this fall. (Photo via Twitter)

On June 5, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the stadium’s impressive retractable roof was moved to the closed position for the first time. The roof’s eight steel panels, each weighing approximately 500 tons, were

motorized in a construction highlight eagerly awaited by officials, the team and fans. It took about 12 minutes for the feat to occur.

“Another huge milestone and an engineering marvel!” Steve Cannon, CEO of the Falcons’ parent company, AMB Group, tweeted afterward.

This first season in the new nest — which dwarfs its next-door neighbor and former Falcons home, the Georgia Dome — will be the Falcons’ 52nd as a franchise.

Head coach Dan Quinn so far has a 1913 record in two seasons, including a second-place finish in the division in 2015 and NFC championship in 2016. That game was the final one played at the Georgia Dome, where the Falcons beat the Green Bay Packers in an epic finale to the team’s 25-year residence there.

Matt Ryan, who returns this year as quarterback, was named league MVP and is the

team’s all-time leader in passing yards — 37,701, which is 21st overall in NFL history — and touchdowns (240), completions and attempts. If he duplicates that, Ryan will move up to 15th place all-time in touchdowns and 16th place all-time in passing yards in league history.

This year, the Falcons will be joined by first-round draft pick Tackarist McKinley, a defensive end from University of California-Los Angeles; linebacker Duke Riley of Louisiana State University; Oregon State University guard Sean Harlow; defensive back Damontae Kazee of San Diego State; running back Brian Hill from Wyoming; and tight end Eric Saubert, who played for Drake University in Iowa.

Though only time will tell how the team will tackle its upcoming season, there’s no doubt that Atlanta is excited to see how high the Dirty Birds will fly in 2017.

26 LGBT Sports June 9, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

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Atlanta awash in LGBT sports leagues Opportunities to run, throw, swim and more throughout the year

By ROBBIE MEDWED Atlanta’s got a full network of LGBT-friendly sports leagues and recreational groups.

Whether you’re interested in swimming or softball, running or rugby, there’s a group for you.

We listed some of the most popular groups below, but be sure to check out websites such as meetup.com for even more options! Many of the groups listed offer drop-in events or weekly open play that don’t require the commitment of a full season league, so you can get a feel for what options are available to you.

If you’re a Falcons fan …

Rumble with the jocks on the field in the gay-centered National Flag Football League of Atlanta that gears up each spring. Straight folks and women are welcome, too! Registration begins in January and games and events continue every week through June.

Weekly January through June 2018; registration fees TBA www.nffla.com If you really liked watching Matt Damon in “Invictus” …

Atlanta’s most famous boys in purple, the Atlanta Bucks, take to the pitch each spring and fall to bash it out on the field. They offer training clinics, games, bar nights and might be best known for running around town in their slinky purple dresses. Check ‘em out at Pride in October as they begin recruitment for next season. www.atlantabucksrugby.org If you don’t have enough 5K invites …

Atlanta Front Runners gather throughout the week and all around

town year-round for group runs (and postrun meals), including the annual Pride Run each June. Runs average four to six miles and folks of all abilities, paces and short-shorts are welcome. Visitors are welcome, but membership is encouraged.

Weekly, year-round; $25 www.eteamz.com/frontrunnersatlanta If you like strong calves …

Fulfill your leg-day dreams and go handsfree by joining Hotlanta Soccer, which competes in the Atlanta Silverbacks League and heads to tournaments across the country. All skill levels are welcome – they’re a recreational team with an emphasis on fun and skill building.

Weekly practices and games; $70 www.hotlantasoccerassociation.yolasite.com If you want to be part of their world …

There’s more to the Rainbow Trout folks than just looking good in Speedos. They’re dedicated athletes and one of Atlanta’s most active (and friendly) sports organizations. They offer practice times every night of the week plus meets and tournaments in three different sports. All skill levels are welcome – if you can float, you can participate.

Daily practices, meets and tournaments; membership tanges from $85 - $235 www.atlantarainbowtrout.com If your friends call you Wilson …

Hotlanta Volleyball Association offers recreational open play for beginners and advanced volleyball players weekly, plus seasonal leagues and tournaments. Everyone is welcome to bump, set and spike, regardless of orientation or gender.

Weekly open play; $5/members; $10/ non-members; membership $35 Membership registration begins in September www.hotlantavball.leagueapps.com If you’re more into slow hands than fast pitches …

The Hotlanta Softball League takes to the field each spring and fall and is one of Atlanta’s largest LGBT sports organizations with hundreds of members and 35 teams, each designed to accommodate all skill levels. Registration for the fall season is set to begin soon.

Spring and fall leagues; $450 per team www.hotlantasoftball.org If you want to pull double duty and help our four-legged, furry friends while enjoying a great game of softball, check out the Softpaw Softball League. These slow-pitch games place an emphasis on having fun and doing good in the community and are open to all genders and orientations. Registration for the fall league will begin over the summer.

Spring and fall leagues, $50/player or $325/team www.southernsoftpaw.com If you identify as a lady …

These women-only leagues offer fun and competitive play in softball, basketball, volleyball and indoor soccer geared toward all skill levels. Most sports take place in the spring and early summer, but registration for beginner’s basketball is open now.

Beginner’s basketball: Thursday nights through the summer; $65 www.decaturwomenssports.com

If you just bought your 18th pair of Chacos …

Atlanta’s Gay and Lesbian Outdoors (AGLO) welcomes participants of all ages, genders and backgrounds to enjoy the great outdoors together. Join them for hikes, picnics and even cardio exercise around town.

Ongoing events; $1.50/year www.meetup.com/Atlantas-Gay-LesbianOutdoors The Women’s Outdoor Network offers weekly afternoon walks, hikes and more.

Membership: $15 www.meetup.com/wonatlanta Wilderness Network for Georgia offers a variety of outdoor experiences including canoeing, biking, hiking, camping and more for the brawny (and not-so-brawny) men around town.

Membership: $20 www.meetup.com/wildnetga If you’re into clubbing …

Teed Up - Womyn Golfing invites lesbian and bi women to join them for regular golf events all summer long, whether you’re a pro or just getting started.

Ongoing events; Per-event costs www.meetup.com/Teed-Up-Womyn-Golfing If you prefer to play around a table …

Gaymers of all stripes gather together on the last Saturday of every month for board games, card games, trivia and a potluck meal at the Rush Center.

Monthly/ongoing; $5 donation requested www.meetup.com/GayGamers

28 LGBT Sports June 9, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

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Let’s dance Nick Lazzarini on ‘Shaping Sound’ tour stop, meeting Adele and not half-assing it

By SHANNON HAMES After an illustrious career as a versatile dancer in his youth (highlighted by an appearance on “Star Search”), dancer Nick Lazzarini went on to win the first season of the hit television show “So You Think You Can Dance.” He teaches, choreographs and performs with his dance company Shaping Sound.

He will perform at the Cobb Energy Centre on June 14.

What have you been up to lately?

I’ve been on tour with my dance company Shaping Sound.

We’ve created a brand-new show called “After the Curtain.” I think it will definitely resonate with the LGBTQ community.

It’s a love story told through dance. I think if you come out and watch the show, you will be moved. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. It’s an amazing experience.

CONTINUES ON PAGE 31

30 A&E June 9, 2017

www.thegeorgiavoice.com

Details

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 30

Did you know from an early age that you wanted to be a dancer?

I got started because I was one of those kids that tried pretty much every sport there was when they were little. I just never really took to any of them. My mom went to sign me up for T-ball at the local recreation center.

There was a dance class going on and I was watching it through the window. It looked fun so I asked my mom if I could try it.

It took about two classes for me to know that it was natural for me. It made me happy to have something that I loved and was good at. I was really lucky to parlay my natural talent into a career. I surrounded myself with talented friends and mentors. I was one of the lucky ones that got successful, especially at a time when dance was becoming super popular.

You kind of helped to make it more popular.

Yes, I was on the first season of “So You Think You Can Dance.” Without that show and other shows like it, I don’t think dance would be nearly as popular as it is right now.

A new show just premiered called “The World of Dance.” It’s another big competition dance show on a large network. It’s cool that there are so many more opportunities for dancers to make a living than there used to be.

Did other people give you a hard time for being a male dancer when you were a kid or were you supported?

I always felt supported by my family. There

“Travis Wall’s Shaping Sound: After the Curtain” June 14 at 8 p.m.

Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway Atlanta, GA 30339 www.cobbenergycentre.com this business. So always remember why you put in all of this work. Do what you love to do.

‘Shaping Sound’ co-creator Nick Lazzarini brings the dance tour to Atlanta’s Cobb Energy Centre on June 14. (Photos courtesy C Major Marketing & PR)

are videos of my dad tying my dresses for me – the ones that I created out of blankets. He’s sitting there watching football and I’m making dresses. It’s hilarious. I was always very supported by my family and free to be myself.

Elementary and middle school were kind of hard because that’s when kids are the meanest and don’t really know any better. Once I got into high school, things got a lot better. Most of the boys figured out that dance isn’t just tutus and tights. “You get to do what with that girl?” and “She’s wearing that?” and “You get to lift her and touch her and have your hands all over her?”

I didn’t like it, but it became much cooler once they saw what type of dance I was doing. It didn’t hurt that I had been on “Star Search” and had gotten a few accolades from the local papers for winning competitions.

You mentioned earlier that you were

PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY

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surrounded by mentors. What was the best advice you ever got from them?

It’s hard because you’re always getting advice from your teachers and everything they tell you is good advice. It can be something small like “rotate your legs more” or “you don’t need to go to college because you can have a dance career right now.” I think that the best advice that all my teachers gave to me was to be as well-rounded as possible.

Any advice from you to other LGBT young people pursuing a career in dance?

Remember why you love to do what you do. I think one of the luckier things that we get to do as dancers is doing something that we really, truly love. You can’t – excuse my French – half-assed do. It just doesn’t work that way. You have to work hard. You have to put in the effort to be a great dancer and to want to succeed in

I’m sure your career has afforded a lot of exciting moments. What…

Meeting Adele [laughs]. It was for “Dancing With the Stars” right when “Rolling in the Deep” came out as her single. She sang it and we danced for her. She was sick but she came back to the trailer to meet us. She was funny, sweet and kind. She didn’t have to do that. It was amazing!

Parting words to the Atlanta LGBT community?

I’m really excited to be coming to Atlanta because the dance scene there is humongous and growing every day. Obviously Los Angeles and New York have booming scenes, but it’s great that Atlanta is now joining in their ranks as another dance hub. I want everyone to come see the show. Afterwards, we always come out to do a meet-and-greet so meet the cast. Meet me. I’m single.

I’ll let them know. What’s your type?

Tall, dark and handsome!

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June 9, 2017 A&E 31

ACTING OUT ‘Robin Hood’ swoops into Serenbe

By JIM FARMER

He’s had a Broadway career already as an actor and choreographer, but now Paul McGill is doing something he has always wanted to do – direct his first show. This summer, the openly gay McGill helms Serenbe Playhouse’s new version of “Robin Hood,” about the outlaw who steals from the rich and gives to the poor. It’s a great fit for his talents.

McGill grew up in Pittsburgh and knew he wanted to be in the arts at an early age.

He was doing theater at the age of 10, and at 17, as a junior in high school, was a swing for the Broadway version of “La Cage Aux Folles.” He’s also worked on “Bullets Over Broadway,” “A Chorus Line,” “Memphis” and the big budget “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.” His TV credits include “Smash” and his film credits include the remake of “Fame.” He also had the pleasure of training Laverne Cox how to dance for last year’s TV version of “Rocky Horror Picture Show.”

“She is a friend of mine and she had not danced since college,” McGill said. “She is a hardcore actress now, but she wanted to get in shape for this. She knew I had gotten everyone in shape for ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’ on Broadway. She thought I would be the best pick. We worked two hours a day, six days a week, to get her able to do her numbers.”

McGill recently heard about what a colleague did at Serenbe and wanted in.

“I knew a friend of mine – Adam Koch – was a set designer for [Serenbe’s 2016] ‘Carousel’ and I saw the photos and I was obsessed with what they were doing here,” he said. “He put me in touch with Brian [Clowdus, the company’s artistic director] and we talked and met and then had ideas about what I would do if I came down. We came up with ‘Robin Hood’ based on what I had done with ‘Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.’”

With flying, zip lines and combat, the two wanted to tell the story in as exciting a way as possible.

“What I was attracted to, it’s not standard theater,” McGill said. “It’s creative and absolutely site-specific. The fun of that challenge attracted me.”

As director, he wanted to give due to

Details ‘Robin Hood’ plays at Serenbe Playhouse through Aug.13. (Photos by BreeAnne Clowdus/ Serenbe Playhouse)

“Robin Hood” Through August 13 Serenbe Playhouse 8455 Atlanta Newnan Road Chattahoochee Hills, GA 30268 www.serenbeplayhouse.com

the original text. Yet he is happy that Rachel Teagle’s adaptation modernized the tale somewhat.

“We want to wink at the fact that we are telling a story in the woods,” he said. “We want the kids to have a great time and we

So far, McGill has had a blast in the area and would be receptive to coming back for another show.

“I already have ideas of what I’d like to do,” he admitted. “And as a New Yorker surrounded by concrete, this is heaven.”

don’t want it to be a bore for the parents.

We want it to be like a Pixar movie – fun for everyone. We want ages 1-100. We are working to develop the characters in the story and have a taste of the original medieval story and a contemporary one.”

32 A&E June 9, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

EATING MY WORDS

By CLIFF BOSTOCK

The downside of being a food critic As a dining critic for 30-plus years, I have visited different r­estaurants four or five times a week. People used to tell me how lucky I was to eat for a living. I always reminded them that I ate far more lousy than good cooking.

But an unsavory meal wasn’t the worst experience. I get seriously ill with food poisoning two or three times a year. There is usually no way to assign blame unless a dining companion also got sick. In that case, I always called the restaurant’s manager and, with very few exceptions, they angrily denied the possibility. That’s not surprising. Even apologizing makes the restaurant vulnerable to a lawsuit. I have never written about such experiences in any case because I knew they were anomalous. No restaurant intentionally poisons anyone – not even a critic they recognize. I just hoped they’d investigate and remedy the situation.

As I write this, I’m in the seventh day of subsisting on Gatorade, soup, crackers, grits and pasta. I can’t describe how sick I was the first three days, except to say that I now understand why God invented Depends. I was more violently ill than when I was infected with giardia in Turkey and Hepatitis A in a Florida oyster shack. I know exactly where I got sick this time – at an Indonesian restaurant that I’d visited before with no problem.

It’s odd, though. I remember that when my plate, a special, arrived at the table I suspected that it had been improperly cooked.

It incorporated a spicy paste that tasted fiery, but wasn’t even warm. Some restaurants tend to leave such concoctions unrefrigerated for long periods of time. I actually only ate a small quantity of the dish.

Is there a way to avoid foodborne illnesses in restaurants? Not really. You could check the restroom and make sure it’s clean, has soap available and a notice that employees must wash their hands. I remember once visiting a restaurant and absent-mindedly walking through the door into the kitchen. The chef began screaming at me to wash my hands, and so I did.

Another hint is the general cleanliness of a restaurant. Just because a restaurant is a hole-in-the-wall on Buford Highway does not mean it shouldn’t be clean. If possible, take a www.thegeorgiavoice.com

Georgia Voice food critic Cliff Bostock says to be aware of the general cleanliness of a restaurant and check its health department rating to help avoid getting food poisoning.

(Stock image)

gander at the kitchen. I used to regularly eat at a rundown taqueria. I didn’t pay attention to the broken toilet or the pots of sauces sitting around unrefrigerated in the kitchen. I got sick. Twice. Dumb. If you have any uncomfortable feelings, you should trust your gut and run – run for your colon’s health.

The best way of checking out a restaurant is to consult its health department rating. These are legally required to be posted in full view, but you can also find them online. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has a very handy tool for doing that (http://www.ajc.com/atlantadining-guide/inspection-scores/).

I’ll give you an example of a certain restaurant I’ve written about before – the Crawfish Shack on Buford Highway. This was long a favorite for me and the restaurant garnered some national attention. But the last time I went, it was so dirty that the floors were squeaky-greasy. I thought surely they would clean it up. But I looked up the restaurant on the AJC’s report today and found that it received a failing grade of 67 on May 17. Typically, a restaurant will make necessary changes within 10 days, but I dare you to call ahead and ask if its score has improved.

Cliff Bostock is a former psychotherapist now specializing in life coaching. Contact him at 404-518-4415 or cliffbostock@gmail.com.

June 9, 2017 Columnists 33

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Our Guide to the Best LGBT Events in Atlanta for Jun 9-22

BETS T ES

EVEN

FRIDAY, JUNE 9

Stage Door Players’ farcical “Boeing, Boeing” has a performance tonight at 8 p.m., running through June 11, 5339 Chamblee Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody, GA 30338, www.stagedoorplayers.net (Official photo)

SATURDAY, JUNE 10

Join a fun summer afternoon Beer Bust with your AV200 friends. Woofs is donating a portion of the proceeds to the AV200 and there will be door prizes and a raffle, 2 – 5 p.m., 2425 Piedmont Road N.E., Atlanta, GA 30324, www.facebook.com/ events/286069185151706

EVENT SPOTLIGHT FRIDAY, JUNE 9

DJ Marc J Cubs is back from Australia for one night with no cover, 10 p.m. – 3 a.m., Atlanta Eagle, 306 Ponce de Leon Ave. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30308, www.facebook.com/ events/1671150236526726 (Courtesy photo)

34 Best Bets June 9, 2017

CHRIS 180’s White Party is tonight, with DJ Yvonne Monet, a silent auction and food and drink, 7 p.m., Mason Fine Art, 415 Plasters Ave. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30324, www.whitepartyatlanta.org Don‘t miss the Prince ‘80s Music Video Dance Party: Purple Edition. It’s Atlanta’s only New Wave ‘80s music video dance party, every second Saturday of the month, hosted by VJ Anthony Events.

Come out and dance and watch music

videos on multiple screens throughout the club. 10 p.m. – 3 a.m., Amsterdam Atlanta, 502 Amsterdam Ave. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30306, www.facebook.com/ events/424942764529493 Soul Seduction will be every second Saturday at Mixx Atlanta’s Upscale Nightclub and Lounge. The night will feature the best in hip hop, R&B and old school, 10 p.m. – 3 a.m., 1492 Piedmont Ave. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30309, www.facebook.com/events/2114335775459924

SUNDAY, JUNE 11

The streets of Atlanta spring to life today as a 3.8-mile stretch of street from Downtown to Underwood Hills is opened to people on foot and bike, and closed to motorized traffic (except for intersections where cars will be free to cross). Organized by the

Atlanta Bicycle Coalition, Atlanta Streets Alive introduces a brand new route in uncharted territory for open streets via Marietta St. and Howell Mill Road. 4 – 8 p.m., www.facebook.com/ events/1653086738051788

MONDAY, JUNE 12

Bill Berdeaux hosts All Music Monday at Blake’s tonight, 227 10th St. N.E, Atlanta, GA 30309, www.blakesontheparkatlanta.com

TUESDAY, JUNE 13

Learn more about Donald Trump’s Fiscal Year 2018 budget proposal, which includes severe cuts to many HIV and related programs, at In the Black: A Community Roundtable on the Trump Budget, HIV and the African-American Community.

RSVP here: goo.gl/hbdN4x, 7 – 8:30 p.m., Phillip Rush Center, 1530 DeKalb Ave.,

www.thegeorgiavoice.com

TUESDAY, JUNE 13

Sing along to ABBA classics as “Mamma Mia!” hits the Fox Theatre tonight at 7:30 p.m., running through June 18, 660 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30308, www.foxtheatre.org (Official photo) Atlanta, GA 30307, www.facebook.com/ events/126003141308882

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14

Kick off the summer season at the next Mix-It-Up Midtown event. Network with your neighbors who live and work in the district, and chat with the leadership and staff at Midtown Alliance to learn about projects and initiatives going on in the area. This mixer will be held from 5:30 – 7 p.m. at YOO on the Park. 207 13th St. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30309, www.facebook.com/events/1865304027067158 Atlanta Pride and Out On Film present a free screening of the film “Jewel’s Catch One,” about the oldest black-owned disco in America and the legacy of lesbian businesswoman, activist and healer Jewel Thais-Williams, whose club stood up against hate and discrimination for 42 years.

7 p.m., Phillip Rush Center Annex, 1530 DeKalb Ave. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30307

THURSDAY, JUNE 15

SAGE Atlanta’s social hour begins at 10 a.m., followed by a program/meeting at 11 a.m., Phillip Rush Center Annex, 1530 DeKalb Ave., Atlanta, GA

www.thegeorgiavoice.com

30307, www.rushcenteratl.org Led by Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Assistant Conductor Joseph Young, this year’s ASO Performance in the Park concert will follow a “Song and Dance” theme, featuring David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance,” Tchaikovsky’s Polonaise from Eugene Onegin, Brahms’ Hungarian Dance No. 5, Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor, a special performance of Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto featuring Principal Trumpet Stuart Stephenson and more. The Orchestra will close out the performance with Dvorák’s Symphony No. 9, “From the New World.” 7:30 – 9 p.m., Piedmont Park, www.facebook.com/ events/1791230021205412 Lip Sync For Your Life is a one-night only fundraising event in Atlanta set for tonight, featuring 12-15 lip syncing acts competing against each other. Proceeds benefit Rainbow Railroad, 8 – 11:30 p.m. Jungle Atlanta, 2115 Faulkner Road N.E., Atlanta, GA 30324, www.facebook.com/events/290573201376491

FRIDAY, JUNE 16 – MONDAY, JUNE 19

The Peach Party Atlanta celebra-

tion features soirees all weekend – Phil B at the Heretic from 10 p.m. – 3 a.m.

Friday; Dee Martello (aka Twisted Dee) at Xion from 3 – 7 a.m. Saturday; Paulo with entertainment by Phoenix from “RuPaul’s Drag Race” at Jungle Atlanta from 10 p.m. – 2:30 a.m. Saturday; Alec Acosta at Xion from 3am – 8am, Sunday; Josh Whitaker at Ten Atlanta from 3 – 6 p.m.

Sunday; and the Alegria event at Jungle Atlanta at 10 p.m. Sunday, www.facebook.com/events/601874423354320

FRIDAY, JUNE 16

The Juneteenth Atlanta Parade and Music Festival celebrates the abolishment of slavery. The main emphasis is on commemorating ancestors and acknowledging 150-plus years of achievements.

Morris Brown College, 643 M.L.K. Jr. Dr. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30314, 10 a.m. - 10 p.m., www.facebook.com/ events/1064293590318665 The High Museum of Art is the exclusive East Coast venue for the Andy Warhol: Prints from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family

CONTINUES ON PAGE 36

EVENT SPOTLIGHT SATURDAY, JUNE 17

Big Snow Entertainment presents J. Tyler as he celebrates the release of his debut EP tonight at the Hard Rock Cafe Atlanta, with special guests, James Shealy, Erick Nathan and Shayna Marcela Garcia. 7 – 11 p.m., 215 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30303, www.facebook.com/ events/151075632088938 (Official photo)

June 9, 2017 Best Bets 35

TELL US ABOUT YOUR LGBT EVENT Submit your LGBT event for inclusion in our online and print calendars by emailing event info to editor@thegavoice.com

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 35 Foundation retrospective, featuring more than 250 prints and ephemera by artist Andy Warhol. This comprehensive show is the largest exhibition of its kind and includes such iconic screenprint portfolios as Marilyn Monroe (1967), Campbell’s Soup I (1968), Electric Chair (1971) and Mao (1972), 1280 Peachtree St., N.E., Atlanta, GA 30309, www.high.org

SATURDAY, JUNE 17

Kick off the global Pride season by learning about important local LGBT history right here in Atlanta. Join the LGBT Institute, Touching Up Our Roots and Atlanta Pride today at the Center for Civil and Human Rights to board the trolley with LGBT friends and allies to explore our LGBT history. This two-hour tour, narrated by local LGBT historian Dave Hayward and others, offers a glimpse into the past with an afternoon of fun. 1- 3 p.m., 100 Ivan Allen Jr. Blvd. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30313, www.facebook.com/ events/852173014920482 You are invited to a very special “before” preview of the new Charis Books and More home. For one afternoon only, Charis is opening the new space for everyone to see before renovations. Drop in any time between 2 – 4 p.m. to check out the architect’s drawings, walk through the space, enjoy light refreshments and hear how you can get involved in building the feminist future of the bookstore at Agnes Scott College. 184 S. Candler St., Decatur, GA 30030-3740 Woofs hosts the Push Up for PALS event to raise money for Pets Are Loving Support today, 2- 5 p.m. 2425 Piedmont Road N.E., Atlanta, GA 30324, www.facebook.com/events/1803234983337148 Georgia Equality hosts its Evening for Equality event, drawing some 400 of Georgia’s most important community leaders, 7:30 p.m., Intercontinental Buckhead Atlanta, 3315 Peachtree Road N.E., Atlanta, GA 30326, www.georgiaequality.org

36 Best Bets June 9, 2017

SATURDAY, JUNE 17

Celebrating its 27th year, The Atlanta Pride Run & Walk is an annual 5K race and walk organized by the Front Runners Atlanta running club and presented by Alta Midtown. Front Runners Atlanta is a running, walking and social club for LGBT people and friends.

Proceeds from the registration and other fundraisers are donated to a local charity that supports the LGBT community in Georgia, Piedmont Park, 8 – 10 a.m., www.facebook.com/events/588613198014769 (File photo) Atlanta Freedom Bands closes its 24th season with music from one of America’s greatest composers, George Gershwin.

The concert features music from three of his greatest works presented with special guest soloists for a truly orchestral experience.

The evening begins with a pre-concert talk

by Ken Meltzer, the Atlanta Symphony’s “orchestra insider.” Ken will share his insight into the life and music of Gershwin along with a few listening tips for the evening’s program. The concert begins with a stroll through the City of Lights with scenes from “An American in Paris.” Piano soloist Trey Clegg will join for the symphonic jazz fusion of “Rhapsody in Blue.” 8 p.m. North Atlanta High School, 4111 Northside Parkway N.W., Atlanta, GA 30327 www. facebook.com/events/137119426833237

SUNDAY, JUNE 18

The PFLAG support group for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning people and their parents and family meets tonight from 2:30 – 4 p.m., Spiritual Living Center of Atlanta, 1730 Northeast Expressway N.E., Atlanta, GA 30329

MONDAY, JUNE 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 – 8:30 p.m., Charis Books and More, 1189 Euclid Ave. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30307, www.charisbooksandmore.com

TUESDAY, JUNE 20

Join Charis in welcoming Pastor Linda Herzer to discuss her new book “The Bible and the Transgender Experience: How Scripture Supports Gender Variance.” This event is designed for transgender and gender non-conforming people, including clergy who are looking for scriptural support as well as non-transgender clergy and congregants who wish to be better allies to their trans and gender non-conforming friends, family and neighbors. 7:30 – 9 p.m., Charis Books and More, 1189 Euclid Ave. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30307, www.facebook. com/events/301042320335886

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21

Join Charis, the Atlanta Queer Literary Festival and Atlanta Pride for a Stonewall Week Celebration honoring our queer literary ancestors, including works by Langston Hughes, Gloria Anzaldua, Amy Lowell, Audre Lorde, Justin Chin, Leslie Feinberg, Adrienne Rich, Truman Capote, Edna St. Vincent Millay, James Baldwin, The Lady Chablis and more. The suggested donation is $5. 7:30 – 9 p.m., Charis Books and More, 1189 Euclid Ave. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30307, www.face-

book.com/events/745648555596140 Georgia Reproductive Specialists hosts a free LGBT Family Planning Seminar. Seminar attendees (new patients only) will receive a credit of $250 to apply toward new patient evaluation services provided in the office. 7- 8:30 p.m., 5445 Meridian Mark Road N.E., Atlanta, GA 30342, www.facebook.com/ events/122268735001569

THURSDAY, JUNE 22

“Bad Feminist” Roxane Gay returns with a deeply personal memoir about what it means to be a woman in an “unruly” body, what it means to nurture oneself through all one’s hungers and how to find a home in the world that is not always or even often safe, but is sometimes beautiful. 7:30 – 9 p.m., Agnes Scott College - Gaines Chapel, Presser Hall, 141 E. College Ave., Decatur, GA, 7:30 – 9 p.m., www.facebook. com/events/120004368570610

UPCOMING SATURDAY, JUNE 24

Join Atlanta Pride for a day of fun in the sun at Six Flags over Georgia, 275 Riverside Parkway S.W., Austell, GA, 30168, www.atlantapride.org/events/ stride-pride-six-flags-georgia-2

www.thegeorgiavoice.com

THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID

By MELISSA CARTER

A scam and a lesson I consider myself an intelligent woman, having experienced quite a few events in my life that resulted in instant maturity and inner strength. Regardless of this fact, I recently almost lost $1,000 in a scam.

Because my contract at B98.5 is coming up in a couple months – even though my absence from the radio gives the perception otherwise – and I’m open to various opportunities to make extra money, I admit I was in a vulnerable place to be scammed. It started when I saw a message from a fellow media personality on LinkedIn of a way she had made some cash on the side.

Assuming it was a legitimate message, I clicked on the link and signed up to try it out.

It seemed like a secret shopper job, and having never done that before, I followed their lead. I received a text checking on a FedEx package that was sent to my home, which included a check for over $2,000 and instructions on purchasing two iPhones from a local store and documenting my experience. I was told to deposit the check so it was in my account before I attempted the purchase the following day. I then realized my schedule would not allow a visit to the Apple store when suggested and let them know as much.

That is when the pressure began and I started to feel less curious and more irritated by my new venture. The texts asked if I could try and get this purchase done sooner rather than later, to the point I let them know I was not comfortable by the timeline and how I could get their money back to them. They suggested MoneyGram instead of my personal check offer so that they could let someone else receive the funds and complete the purchase in a short period of time. I agreed and set up a MoneyGram account and attempted to transfer $900 of the full amount, which my representative said was the minimum MoneyGram would allow at once.

MoneyGram reached out to me to talk about this transfer and how I knew the people I was sending the money to. That’s when I knew www.thegeorgiavoice.com

“I hope this stupidity will serve as a warning to others to be smart and centered, even when they talk themselves into the need to pad their pockets.” something was off, and it was further confirmed when MoneyGram declined to send the money.

That’s when I contacted my bank, still assuming the check had cleared and inquired how to get the money back to them. That’s when my bank rep said the check was posted because of my good standing but that a check really needs a week to clear the bank. I realized through this conversation that the reason for their immediate need for the money was so I would send them funds before their check was proven fraudulent. Sure enough, my bank rejected the check a day or so later and I filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission against the fraudulent company.

Having been duped and become a willing participant in that fraud is embarrassing.

But, admittedly being a multi-tasker and distracted as I entered into what I thought would be a mindless venture providing a little extra spending money, I put myself in the position of vulnerability. I hope this stupidity will serve as a warning to others to be smart and centered, even when they talk themselves into the need to pad their pockets. Being off center and unfocused will certainly put a target on your back … and wallet.

Melissa Carter is recognized as one of the first out radio personalities in Atlanta and has been heard over the years on B98.5 and Q100. In addition, she is a writer for the Huffington Post. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCarter.

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Representing the “best of the best” in LGBT media, with over a million readers weekly in print and online.

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June 9, 2017 Columnists 37

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EVENING FOR EQUALITY 2017

June 17, 2017 The InterContinental Hotel Buckhead F O R T I C K ET S : G E O R G I A E Q U A L IT Y . O R G

GEORGIA EQUALITY

At the risk of offending one of my best friends who took some soul-revealing photos of my nephew at the BeltLine skatepark last week, my favorite picture from this year of gunclehood is a grainy screenshot from an over-zoomed, head-on video of my nephew careening down a steep hill on his skateboard. His outstretched arms and anxious eyes contrast with an exploding smile, the terror and exhilaration in his expression offering the perfect visual for our range of emotions over the past nine months.

The screenshot’s low quality and urban grayness, along with my nephew’s mismatched socks and (fashionably) holey sneakers, give the image a dinginess that reminds me of pictures from my childhood in the ’80s. He’s without a helmet and riding in the middle of the street, but despite the recklessness and neglect hinted at in the picture, I remember him crashing into me a half-second after the image was captured, his tense body melting into arms he trusted would be there for him.

Upon becoming the legal guardian of my 7-year-old nephew last summer, I recognized myself attempting to give him the childhood I thought I deserved, beginning with clarity about our roles. I instilled in him that if he focused on kid things such as school and tying his shoes, I would take care of the adult things like buying toys and making food magically appear before us every day.

I binged on school supplies because I remembered the embarrassment of being chronically unprepared; I read him bedtime stories every night because I still feel the numbness of falling asleep in an empty home, or worse, an occupied one where no one seemed to notice if you were awake or not, there or not. I got him skateboards and the race car bed I always coveted, and took him to monster truck rallies and space observatories, and feel mostly successful in giving him a stability and indulgence that I’ve always imagined was supposed to be included in childhood.

I also have a new, uncomfortable appreciation for how difficult it is to surrender your life, your desires and your priorities for the

“My two biggest fears at the end of our time together are that something goes terribly wrong in Chicago, or that everything goes right and he forgets the special times we’ve shared.” benefit of a kid who is clueless about your existence outside of him. Selfishness isn’t really a “kid thing” or “adult thing,” but something that is passed back and forth between a child and parental figure, and enjoying selfishness without abusing it has been my homework throughout the 2016-17 school year.

Selfishness now brings us to the end of our journey together, and I haven’t been able to determine whether it is the healthy or damaging kind. The plan is for my nephew’s father to resume custody of him once my nephew returns to Chicago this summer, something all three of us crave with reasonable justification; but, although each of us gets what we want in the arrangement, it’s hard to argue it’s in my nephew’s long-term best interests to interrupt the success and security he’s experienced in Atlanta.

Among his second-grade classmates, my nephew earned the “Most Improved” student award, an almost automatic descriptor for any child who spends a year away from the South Side of Chicago. I’ve stowed the certificate in a box full of ticket stubs and keepsakes from the year we’ve spent together, which I plan to give him on his 36th birthday, when he is the same age I was when I unexpectedly assumed custody of him.

My two biggest fears at the end of our time together are that something goes terribly wrong in Chicago, or that everything goes right and he forgets the special times we’ve shared. There is so little I remember about being 7 years old, and I hope, whether in two months or 28 years from now, he always knows that I was at the bottom of the hill, bracing us for impact.

Ryan Lee is an Atlanta writer.

38 Columnists June 9, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

W E ’ R E FA M I LY Y ’A L L OUR RIGHTS. OUR HOME.

MONTH

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: (6/10) (6/14) (6/17) (6/17) (6/21) (6/24)

Sylvia Rivera Day of Service Out On Film Screening of Jewel's Catch One Georgia Equality's Evening for Equality Touching Up Our Pride Roots Trolley Tour Stonewall Poetry event Stride Into Pride at Six Flags Over Georgia

ATLANTA PRIDE For a full schedule and to learn more about our partners please visit atlantapride.org.