06/23/17, Vol. 8 Issue 9

What is TRUVADA for PrEP? TRUVADA for PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) is a prescription medicine that is used together with safer sex practices to help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 through sex. This use is only for HIV-negative adults who are at high risk of getting HIV-1. To help determine your risk of getting HIV-1, talk openly with your healthcare provider about your sexual health.

Ask your healthcare provider if you have questions about how to prevent getting HIV. 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 TRUVADA for PrEP?

Before taking TRUVADA for PrEP: u You must be HIV-negative before you start taking TRUVADA for PrEP. You must get tested to make sure that you do not already have HIV-1.

Do not take TRUVADA to reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 unless you are confirmed to be HIV-negative. u Many HIV-1 tests can miss HIV-1 infection in a person who has recently become infected. If you have flu-like symptoms, you could have recently become infected with HIV-1. Tell your healthcare provider if you had a flu-like illness within the last month before starting or at any time while taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Symptoms of new HIV-1 infection include tiredness, fever, joint or muscle aches, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, night sweats, and/or enlarged lymph nodes in the neck or groin.

While taking TRUVADA for PrEP: u You must continue to use safer sex practices. Just taking TRUVADA for PrEP may not keep you from getting HIV-1. u You must stay HIV-negative to keep taking TRUVADA for PrEP: • Get tested for HIV-1 at least every 3 months.

• If you think you were exposed to HIV-1, tell your healthcare provider right away. u To further help reduce your risk of getting HIV-1: • Know your HIV status and the HIV status of your partners.

• Get tested for other sexually transmitted infections. Other infections make it easier for HIV to infect you.

• Get information and support to help reduce risky sexual behavior, such as having fewer sex partners.

• Do not miss any doses of TRUVADA. Missing doses may increase your risk of getting HIV-1 infection. u If you do become HIV-1 positive, you need more medicine than TRUVADA alone to treat HIV-1. TRUVADA by itself is not a complete treatment for HIV-1. If you have HIV-1 and take only TRUVADA, your HIV-1 may become harder to treat over time.

TRUVADA can cause serious side effects: u Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. TRUVADA is not approved to treat HBV. If you have HBV and stop taking TRUVADA, your HBV may suddenly get worse. Do not stop taking TRUVADA without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to monitor your health.

|Who should not take TRUVADA for PrEP? Do not take TRUVADA for PrEP if you: u Already have HIV-1 infection or if you do not know your HIV-1 status. If you are HIV-1 positive, you need to take other medicines with TRUVADA to treat HIV-1. TRUVADA by itself is not a complete treatment for HIV-1. If you have HIV-1 and take only TRUVADA, your HIV-1 may become harder to treat over time. u Also take certain medicines to treat hepatitis B infection. |What are the other possible side effects of TRUVADA for PrEP? Serious side effects of TRUVADA may also include: u Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider may do blood tests to check your kidneys before and during treatment with TRUVADA. If you develop kidney problems, your healthcare provider may tell you to stop taking TRUVADA. u Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat. u Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain. u Bone problems, including bone pain, softening, or thinning, which may lead to fractures. Your healthcare provider may do tests to check your bones.

Common side effects in people taking TRUVADA for PrEP are stomach-area (abdomen) pain, headache, and decreased weight. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that bother you or do not go away. |What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking

TRUVADA for PrEP?

u 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.

u If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if TRUVADA

can harm your unborn baby. If you become pregnant while taking TRUVADA for PrEP, talk to your healthcare provider to decide if you should keep taking TRUVADA. u If you are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. If you become HIV-positive, HIV can be passed to the baby in breast milk. u All the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. TRUVADA may interact with other medicines.

Keep a list of all your medicines and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine. u If you take certain other medicines with TRUVADA, your healthcare provider may need to check you more often or change your dose. These medicines include certain medicines to treat hepatitis C (HCV) infection.

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.

Please see Important Facts about TRUVADA for PrEP including important warnings on the following page.

TVDC0093_B_10x10-5_GeorgiaVoice_p1.indd 1-2

Have you heard about

TRUVADA for PrEP™?

The once-daily prescription medicine that can help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 when used with safer sex practices.

• TRUVADA for PrEP is only for adults who are at high risk of getting HIV through sex.

• You must be HIV-negative before you start taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Ask your doctor about your risk of getting HIV-1 infection and if TRUVADA for PrEP may be right for you.

visit start.truvada.com

6/6/17 11:21 AM

IMPORTANT FACTS

This is only a brief summary of important information about taking TRUVADA for PrEPTM (pre-exposure prophylaxis) to help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 infection. This does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your medicine.

(tru-VAH-dah) MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT TRUVADA FOR PrEP Before starting TRUVADA for PrEP: • You must be HIV-1 negative. You must get tested to make sure that you do not already have HIV-1. Do not take TRUVADA for PrEP to reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 unless you are confirmed to be HIV-1 negative.

• Many HIV-1 tests can miss HIV-1 infection in a person who has recently become infected. Symptoms of new HIV-1 infection include flu-like symptoms, tiredness, fever, joint or muscle aches, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, night sweats, and/or enlarged lymph nodes in the neck or groin. Tell your healthcare provider if you have had a flu-like illness within the last month before starting TRUVADA for PrEP. While taking TRUVADA for PrEP: • You must continue to use safer sex practices. Just taking TRUVADA for PrEP may not keep you from getting HIV-1.

• You must stay HIV-negative to keep taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Get tested for HIV-1 at least every 3 months while taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you think you were exposed to HIV-1 or have a flu-like illness while taking TRUVADA for PrEP. • If you do become HIV-1 positive, you need more medicine than TRUVADA alone to treat HIV-1. If you have HIV-1 and take only TRUVADA, your HIV-1 may become harder to treat over time.

• See the “How To Further Reduce Your Risk” section for more information.

TRUVADA may cause serious side effects, including: • Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. TRUVADA is not approved to treat HBV. If you have HBV, your HBV may suddenly get worse if you stop taking TRUVADA. Do not stop taking TRUVADA without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months.

ABOUT TRUVADA FOR PrEP TRUVADA for PrEP is a prescription medicine used together with safer sex practices to help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 through sex. This use is only for HIV-negative adults who are at high risk of getting HIV-1.

• To help determine your risk of getting HIV-1, talk openly with your healthcare provider about your sexual health.

Do NOT take TRUVADA for PrEP if you: • Already have HIV-1 infection or if you do not know your HIV-1 status.

• Take certain medicines to treat hepatitis B infection.

HOW TO TAKE TRUVADA FOR PrEP • Take 1 tablet once a day, every day, not just when you think you have been exposed to HIV-1.

• Do not miss any doses. Missing doses may increase your risk of getting HIV-1 infection.

• Use TRUVADA for PrEP together with condoms and safer sex practices.

• Get tested for HIV-1 at least every 3 months. You must stay HIV-negative to keep taking TRUVADA for PrEP.

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF TRUVADA FOR PrEP TRUVADA can cause serious side effects, including: • Those in the “Most Important Information About TRUVADA for PrEP” section.

• New or worse kidney problems, including kidney failure.

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

• Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain.

• Bone problems.

Common side effects in people taking TRUVADA for PrEP include stomach-area (abdomen) pain, headache, and decreased weight.

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

BEFORE TAKING TRUVADA FOR PrEP Tell your healthcare provider if you: • Have or have had any kidney, bone, or liver problems, including hepatitis.

• Have any other medical conditions.

• Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

• Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. If you become HIV-positive, HIV can pass to the baby in breast milk.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take: • Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-the-counter 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 TRUVADA for PrEP.

HOW TO FURTHER REDUCE YOUR RISK • Know your HIV status and the HIV status of your partners.

• Get tested for other sexually transmitted infections. Other infections make it easier for HIV to infect you.

• Get information and support to help reduce risky sexual behavior, such as having fewer sex partners.

• Do not share needles or personal items that can have blood or body fluids on them.

GET MORE INFORMATION • This is only a brief summary of important information about TRUVADA for PrEP. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more, including how to prevent HIV infection.

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

TRUVADA, the TRUVADA Logo, TRUVADA FOR PREP, GILEAD, and the GILEAD Logo are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. All other marks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners.

Version date: April 2017 © 2017 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. TVDC0093 05/17

TVDC0093_B_10x10-5_GeorgiaVoice_p1.indd 3

6/6/17 11:21 AM

GEORGIANEWS

Kennesaw State backtracks on student pronoun option Change to class management system was to take effect fall semester

respect. I think that it’s important to continue asking KSU the hard questions until we receive an answer.”

McDaniel volunteered to go to the school with a contingent of other community leaders to get answers from school officials in person.

“It’s a new day and time,” she said. “We are no longer going to sit idly by and just let others indiscriminately discriminate against us, solely based upon our gender identity.”

By PATRICK SAUNDERS psaunders@thegavoice.com Kennesaw State University is backtracking on a plan to change its online class management system to allow students to list their preferred pronoun.

School President Sam Olens told Georgia Voice in February of his plans to implement the change – along with allowing students to list their preferred name – after complaints from the school’s transgender and gender nonconforming students.

“Several transgender students have told me that if fellow students call them by their given name instead of their chosen name, they get embarrassed and we don’t want that,” Olens said.

Olens then instructed the school’s chief information officer to get to work changing the school’s Desire 2 Learn (D2L) class management system to allow students to choose both their preferred name (by this past spring semester) and their preferred pronoun (by this fall semester), citing similar actions the University of Vermont took in 2015.

But in a recent interview with the AJC’s Jim Galloway, Olens said they changed their minds on the pronoun option, calling it “a suggestion” and adding that technology is one reason why they’re not going forward with it.

When contacted by Georgia Voice to confirm the school wasn’t going forward with the change, officials said, “We are committed to fully implementing preferred name and will not be moving forward with the pronoun option.”

When asked as to why, officials said, “[We] have nothing more to report.”

‘It’s a matter of safety, dignity’ Georgia Voice reached out to multiple LGBT faculty members and members of Kennesaw Pride Alliance, the school’s LGBT student group, to comment on the school’s decision, but none would speak on the record. www.thegeorgiavoice.com

Kennesaw State University President Sam Olens announced a change to the school’s class management system in February, but is now backtracking. (File photo)

“It sounds to me that KSU was hoping to appease us by placing a Band-Aid on the problem they have with treating people with dignity and respect.

I think that it’s important to continue asking KSU the hard questions until we receive an answer.”

—Tracee McDaniel, transgender activist and founder of the Juxtaposed Center for Transformation Tracee McDaniel, a transgender activist and founder of the Juxtaposed Center for Transformation, said it was “immeasurably important” for transgender and gender nonconforming students to make others aware of their preferred pronoun on college forms.

“It’s a matter of safety, dignity, life or death and being able to successfully graduate with a college degree,” she said. “It sounds to me that KSU was hoping to appease us by placing a Band-Aid on the problem they have with treating people with dignity and

Olens’ evolving relationship with LGBT students Olens had been making some headway with the school’s LGBT students and faculty after a rough start when taking office.

The former Georgia attorney general defended the state in a lawsuit challenging its 2004 ban on same-sex marriage and last year joined 10 other states in suing the federal government, arguing it had no authority to direct the nation’s public school districts to permit students to use the restrooms that correspond with their gender identity.

The state Board of Regents approved Olens as KSU president last fall, leading to outcry and protests from many of the school’s LGBT students, faculty, staff and allies. When asked about criticism of his LGBT record, he repeatedly stated he was just doing his job as attorney general of the state and that that doesn’t necessarily reflect his personal views.

Olens started meeting with campus LGBT leadership to hear their concerns, getting mixed reviews in the process.

Nayasia Coleman, a KSU alumnus who serves as a staff member in GLBTIQ Student Programs and as co-chair of the Presidential Commission on GLBTIQ Initiatives, said Olens had been supportive and eager to be engaged with the campus community.

Aracely Garcia, a KSU student and president of the Kennesaw Pride Alliance, told Georgia Voice in February she was one of the students that Olens met with, but said he was condescending and recommended that he take part in safe space training offered through the school’s GLBTIQ Student Programs.

Neither Coleman or Garcia responded to requests for comment on the school deciding not to allow the pronoun option.

June 23, 2017 News 5

GEORGIANEWS

DeVos won’t vouch for LGBT students under school voucher programs Remark follows a number of anti-LGBT moves under Trump’s Department of Education

By DALLAS ANNE DUNCAN dduncan@thegavoice.com She hasn’t issued an Educational Degree No. 24, but US Department of Education Sec. Betsy DeVos is not a fan favorite in the LGBT community. Her consistent push to introduce school voucher programs is seen by many as discriminatory, as is her refusal to condemn private schools that discriminate against LGBT students.

“Pressed by Democrats on how she would protect the rights of LGBT students, DeVos said in areas where the law is ‘unsettled,’ which she said included areas of bias against gay people, her department would not be ‘issuing decrees,’” according to a recent piece in the publication Inside Higher Ed. “Even if the law is unclear, that doesn’t remove the obligation of the department to offer guidance and enforce the law.”

Harper Jean Tobin, director of policy for the National Center for Transgender Equality, told Inside Higher Ed that there was hope DeVos would “clarify that she believes all schools that accept federal funds must follow federal law.”

“Now that we finally have that clarification from her, it’s apparent that we should put an asterisk on it,” Tobin said.

In the few short months since taking office, DeVos already rolled back protections on LGBT students. In February, she rescinded guidance documents related to bathroom usage for transgender youths. Just last week, her department’s Office for Civil Rights closed a discrimination case involving an elementary school student in Ohio.

Candice Jackson, who is head of that office, told Washington Post that the findings of discrimination were withdrawn because those findings were based on the rescinded bathroom guidance documents.

But arguably the greatest concern about LGBT discrimination in schools comes

US Department of Education Sec. Betsy DeVos is a proponent of school vouchers, a program some advocates say allows for discrimination against LGBT students. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

“It’s another thing to allow schools that discriminate, especially in this day and age, on the basis of LGBT identity of the child or the family, I think that’s ridiculous to allow them to receive public funding.”

—Christian Zsilavetz, founder of the private, LGBT-affirming Pride School Atlanta from the voucher program that both DeVos and Vice President Mike Pence are big proponents of.

‘A nice idea’ “It’s always surprising to me that you should be able to choose your college and be able to pursue the academics and social environment that you want, but you shouldn’t be able to be around those people when you’re in K through 12,” said Christian Zsilavetz, founder of the private, LGBT-affirming Pride School Atlanta. “If you are a right-wing, fundamentalist Christian, you would probably like to be around people who are largely rightwing fundamentalist Christians when you go to college. Go for it. Just like many people go

to liberal universities because they want to be places where they’re not a target.”

He said new private schools open up regularly for that reason: to provide an environment that fills a specific need, such as a safe space for LGBT students.

Indiana’s had a school voucher program for a number of years. It sounds simple: Each year, a certain amount of taxpayer dollars, per child in attendance, is allocated to public schools. Under a school voucher program, those dollars could be transferred to a private school if that child’s family would prefer her not attend a public school, but otherwise could not afford the private school’s tuition.

“I think I agree with the idea of being able to go to a private school with public funding,

because the schools that are available to many students are not necessarily the best schools to be had, just by virtue of where you live,” said Zsilavetz, who called school vouchers “a nice idea.”

“But this idea of being able to go to a school that discriminates, like the religious schools, that’s a challenge for me. … It’s another thing to allow schools that discriminate, especially in this day and age, on the basis of LGBT identity of the child or the family, I think that’s ridiculous to allow them to receive public funding.”

For example, he said, Pride School would not be allowed to receive funding if it discriminated against students on something like race. And even Catholic schools don’t disCONTINUES ON PAGE 7

6 News June 23, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

criminate on religion — many students who attend those schools are not Catholic, he said.

In Indiana, one of those religious schools that receives public funding despite openly discriminating against LGBT students is Lighthouse Christian Academy in Bloomington.

In its application information, Lighthouse requires parents to confirm their families abide by the school’s “Biblical Lifestyle Statement,” which prohibits students and their families engage in “heterosexual activity outside of a one man-one-woman marriage,” “homosexual or bisexual activity or any form of sexual immorality,” “practicing alternate gender identity or any other identity or behavior that violates God’s ordained distinctions between the two sexes, male and female,” along with viewing pornography, drinking, cursing and stealing.

In the Congressional hearing referenced in the Inside Higher Ed story, Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Massachusetts) challenged DeVos’ proposed $250 million increase in school voucher funds, asking the secretary if she’d stand up to make sure Lighthouse would be open to all students.

According to the Washington Blade, DeVos dodged the question.

Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Massachusetts) (Photo via Facebook)

Attempts to reach the US Department of Education for clarification on DeVos’ stance on school vouchers and discrimination were unsuccessful as of press time.

School choice in the Peach State Right now, Georgia has two school choice-related programs. The Qualified Expense Education Tax Credit and the Special Needs Scholarship Program were both created through legislation during the 2007 to

2008 legislative session.

“The funding for scholarships for the Georgia tax credit program is provided by pre-approved donations from Georgia taxpayers,” said Meghan Frick, spokeswoman for Georgia Department of Education.

These donations are made to student scholarship organizations, and the taxpayer receives a credit on her income tax. The scholarships are provided to parents of eligible children who plan to attend private schools.

The Georgia Department of Revenue pre-approves Georgians who wish to donate to the tax credit program, and there is a donation cap. According to the Georgia Student Scholarship Organization, in 2013 that cap was $58 million. Married couples filing jointly could donate up to $2,500; married individuals filing singly could give up to $1,250; unmarried people could donate up to $1,000; and select corporations up to $10,000 until that cap was reached.

On the other hand, the Special Needs Scholarship Program is a school choice program.

“If a student meets the eligibility criteria for the program, a parent or guardian has the right to request a transfer from a student’s current public school to another public school within their district of residence;

another public school district outside their district of residence; one of the three state schools for the blind or deaf; or a private school authorized to participate in the Special Needs Scholarship Program,” Frick said.

This program does use public funding “to pay for tuition and fees” at private schools authorized by the state Department of Education.

If Georgia were to move forward with an Indiana-style voucher system, it would require a change in state law, not Department of Education policy, Frick said.

Right now, Pride School does not qualify for either of the Georgia school choice-related programs. It is funded entirely from donations and tuition dollars, none of which come from taxpayer coffers, Zsilavetz said.

Even if Pride School were covered by an Indiana-style school voucher program, there are still two major barriers for applicants: transportation and tuition. Most vouchers don’t cover the full cost of tuition, which can be pricey depending on the private school.

“Your average private school in Georgia is typically anywhere from $14,000 up. We’re on the low end because we’re new and we’re small, so we don’t have as much need, and we rent space for $1,000 a month. We minimize our expenses as much as possible,” Zsilavetz said.

“

We need to throw away the stigma and fear about HIV testing. It’s time we make HIV testing a part of our health routine.

— Jay Ellis, Actor

I’M

”

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

June 23, 2017 News 7

NATIONALNEWS

Commerce Dept. omits LGBT people in non-discrimination policy Remark later reversed but House Minority Whip, DNC sound off

By BY CHRIS JOHNSON, Washington Blade courtesy of the National LGBTQ Media Association Commerce Sec. Wilbur Ross issued a new non-discrimination policy last week, omitting explicit assurances LGBT workers won’t face discrimination in his department, prompting outcry that resulted in an updated version of the document making clear the prohibition on anti-LGBT discrimination.

The 2017 Secretarial Policy Statement on Equal Employment Opportunity initially found on the Commerce Department’s website declared it won’t tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age or disability. Omitted from the policy: sexual orientation and gender identity — two categories that were included in the policy under the Obama administration.

According to a report in BuzzFeed, the Ross policy statement was circulated among department staff on June 15. The new policy statement was posted within 10 days prior to then, BuzzFeed reports, because an archived view of the website from June 6 reveals the 2016 LGBT-inclusive statement was included. The Commerce Department employs nearly 47,000 workers, according to its website.

David Stacy, the Human Rights Campaign’s government affairs director, said in a statement the omission represents “the Trump/Pence Administration actively seeking to undermine rights for LGBTQ people.”

“The Commerce Department’s EEO statement is meant to inform workers and applicants about their legal protections,” Stacy said. “Cutting specific mention of sexual orientation and gender identity protections is a slap in the face to LGBTQ federal employees who proudly serve at the Department of Commerce, and sadly signals that this administration does not value them.”

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross omitted LGBT workers from his EEO policy statement. (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)

Commerce secretary ‘appalled’ After initial media reports and outcry over the omission, the Commerce Department sent out a new version of the non-discrimination policy June 16 with sexual orientation and gender identity specifically included.

A Commerce Department spokesperson said the omission was “never intended to change the policy or exclude any protected categories” and insisted the department doesn’t discriminate against LGBT people.

“I hope we can help people understand that the impression this whole situation gave people is really not who Sec. Ross is,” the spokesperson said. “As soon as this was brought to his attention, he was appalled and directed immediate action be taken to rectify any misconceptions. From his first day at Commerce, Sec. Ross has made clear that he will tolerate no bias or discrimination of any sort.”

Even if the Commerce Department no longer prohibited discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, LGBT workers there would still have protections under the executive order signed by President Clinton barring anti-gay discrimination in the

federal workforce, which President Obama expanded to include transgender people.

LGBT workers at the Commerce Department may also find restitution for claims of discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights of 1964. The law contains no explicit prohibition on anti-LGBT discrimination, but the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and a growing number of courts have determined the prohibition on sex discrimination under the law applies to LGBT people.

‘You can’t un-ring a bell’ House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland) decried the Commerce Department omission as “appalling” in a statement and was among those who called on Ross to reinstate sexual orientation and gender identity in the policy.

“While LGBT employees of the Department remain protected under the government-wide policy instituted by former President Obama, this decision by Sec. Ross sends a signal that LGBT Americans are not welcome at the department he leads,” Hoyer said. “In addition to the injustice of his move, the Secretary ought to reflect on the

role of the LGBT community in our economy and the importance of LGBT businesspeople in creating jobs and expanding trade to benefit our country and its workers.”

Joel Kasnetz, a spokesperson for the Democratic National Committee, also criticized the Trump administration for the LGBT omission and said the restoration of the language is an insufficient remedy.

“You can’t un-ring a bell,” Kasnetz said.

“By trying to erase LGBTQ people from the Commerce Department’s nondiscrimination policy, the Trump administration sent a crystal clear message to LGBTQ Americans: ‘You’re not welcome here.’”

The Commerce Department didn’t respond to a follow-up inquiry on why sexual orientation and gender identity were excluded from the policy in the first place.

A White House official deferred to the Commerce Department statement in response to inquiries on whether President Trump was OK with the omission and whether it was the result of an administration-wide directive. In January, the White House said Trump would leave in place Obama’s executive order barring anti-LGBT workplace discrimination among federal contractors.

8 News June 23, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

REGIONS CELEBRATES LGBT PRIDE MONTH

PRIDE has taken great strides. We’re here to help you take your next step.

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NEWSBRIEFS Atlanta installing permanent rainbow crosswalks in Midtown Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed chose the first anniversary of the Pulse shooting to announce some significant news — the city is installing permanent rainbow crosswalks at the intersection of 10th Street and Piedmont Avenue.

“For the past year, Atlanta has grieved alongside Orlando. Our city has rallied around our LGBT community, and we have not shied from demonstrating our unity and solidarity. And with this spirit, I cannot think of a more important time to reaffirm our unwavering and unqualified support for our LGBTQ residents,” Reed said in a news release. “I am pleased to announce today that the City will install the rainbow crosswalks at the intersection of Piedmont Avenue and 10th Street year-round.”

The intersection is a historical hub for the city’s LGBT community, and “it is fitting that such an important and recognizable place should feature the rainbow flag,” Reed said.

The mayor’s office did not make clear when the installation would take place.

The push for the crosswalks began back in 2015, when temporary fixtures were painted for Pride. Local LGBT musician Sarah Rose, lead singer of Sarah and the Safe Word, started a petition for permanent crosswalks back in April. More than 22,000 had signed the petition prior to Reed’s announcement.

“No words. Thank you all. We did it,” Rose said in a Facebook post after hearing the news.

Handel: ‘My faith calls me to a different place’ on gay adoption At the tail end of the race to become Georgia’s 6th District Congressional representative, former Secretary of State Karen Handel appeared to double down on her much publicized 2010 comments on gay adoption. Handel told both a Reporter Newspapers writer and the mother of a LGBT child that her “faith calls me to a very different place on these issues.”

Both exchanges took place during a campaign stop at Wright’s Gourment Sandwich Shop in Dunwoody in mid-June, days before the special election. Former Georgia Voice editor and current Reporter Newspapers writer Dyana Bagby spoke with Handel on a number of issues.

“What I have always believed is that

Georgia state Rep. Park Cannon (D-Atlanta) addresses the audience at a LGBT families meetand-greet for Congressional candidate Jon Ossoff on June 9. (Photo by Dallas Anne Duncan)

what has to be paramount is what is the best interest of the child,” Handel told Bagby.

“The best interest of the child. Period, end of paragraph. That’s not for you to decide.

That’s not for me to decide. It’s for the child advocates to decide, whether that be the court or the child’s guardian.”

The mother who later approached Handel asked her what protections she would have should she choose to adopt in the future.

According to video taken by a Democratic tracker and obtained by Georgia Voice, Handel responded with, “My faith also calls me to be compassionate, and so I always try to do that. I don’t — I’m not aware of anything in the law that, right now, that I’m aware of, that is gonna be impactful from a discriminatory standpoint against your daughter.”

Handel’s comments come after the spotlight grew on her 2010 comments, which were made during a run for state governor.

11Alive reporter Doug Richards questioned her gay rights views, and Handel said she was against same-sex marriage and would consider legislation outlawing gay adoption, saying a home with gay parents “is not the best household for a child.”

Police called on queer Georgia legislator after Handel questions According to Rewire, local area radio station WABE called the police on openly

queer Rep. Park Cannon (D-Atlanta) after she tried to speak with 6th Congressional District candidate Karen Handel following a public debate on June 8.

“After the debate was over, as an elected official, I wanted to do a little diplomatic work,” Cannon told Democratic supporters at a LGBT families event for candidate Jon Ossoff the next day. “I said to [Handel], ‘You did a good job. And if you’re elected, I want to work with you. But I want to work with you on a specific issue, and that has to do with gay marriage and gay adoption. I have seen what you’ve been saying in the media, and as a gay person, I want to leverage what I have on the ground here in Georgia to help you.’ She literally turned her head and walked away.”

As Cannon left the debate space, she was approached by a WABE staff member, who questioned her about speaking to Handel.

The staffer then called a police officer, who called for backup, before letting the legislator leave.

Hilary Silverboard, the vice president of marketing and business strategy for WABE parent company Public Broadcasting Atlanta, issued a statement after the incident, saying WABE was to provide security for candidates while on the studio premises, and escorting Handel to the door away from audience members was honoring security protocol.

10 News June 23, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

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5/12/17 3:37 PM

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

A flag and a conversation

BY PATRICK SAUNDERS psaunders@thegavoice.com PO Box 77401 • Atlanta, GA 30357 P: 404-815-6941; F: 404-963-6365

EDITORIAL

Editor: Patrick Saunders psaunders@thegavoice.com Deputy Editor: Dallas Anne Duncan dduncan@thegavoice.com Editorial Contributors: Ashleigh Atwell, Cliff Bostock, Melissa Carter, Jim Farmer, Shannon Hames, Ryan Lee, Robbie Medwed, Matt Schafer, Dionne N. Walker, Simon Williamson

PRODUCTION

Art Director: Rob Boeger rboeger@thegavoice.com

BUSINESS

Managing Partner/Publisher: Tim Boyd tboyd@thegavoice.com

SALES

Sales Executive: Dixon Taylor dtaylor@thegavoice.com Business Advisor: Lynn Pasqualetti Financial Firm of Record: HLM Financial Group National Advertising: Rivendell Media, 908-232-2021 sales@rivendellmedia.com Publisher Emeritus: Chris Cash

FINE PRINT

All material in Georgia Voice is protected by federal copyright law and may not be reproduced without the written consent of Georgia Voice. The sexual orientation of advertisers, photographers, writers and cartoonists published herein is neither inferred nor implied.

The appearance of names or pictorial representation does not necessarily indicate the sexual orientation of that person or persons.

We also do not accept responsibility for claims made by advertisers.

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

A single copy of Georgia Voice is available from authorized distribution points. Multiple copies are available from Georgia Voice office only. Call for rates. If you are unable to reach a convenient free distribution point, you may receive a 26-issue mailed subscription for $60 per year. Checks or credit card orders can be sent to Tim Boyd, tboyd@thegavoice.com Postmaster: Send address changes to Georgia Voice, PO Box 77401, Atlanta, GA 30357. Georgia Voice is published every other Friday by The Georgia Voice, LLC. Individual subscriptions are $60 per year for 26 issues. Postage paid at Atlanta, GA, and additional mailing offices.

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

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12 Outspoken June 23, 2017

“Many thought the flag was divisive, or said the flag wasn’t supposed to be about race, or just didn’t like the flag changing. It’s no coincidence that the vast majority of those opposed to the flag looked like me … white cisgender gay men.”

On June 8, a rainbow flag with black and brown stripes added to it was hoisted up a pole outside Philadelphia City Hall as part of a campaign to make LGBT people of color more visible. And with that move came controversy.

The uproar spread from Philadelphia across the country, and you know Atlanta wasn’t going to be left out of this one. This is such an Atlanta conversation. We have one of the largest populations of LGBT people in the country. We have the most LGBT people of color and the largest Black Gay Pride. And we have our own troubled history with race in this city, both in and outside of the LGBT community.

Many thought the flag was divisive, or said the flag wasn’t supposed to be about race, or just didn’t like the flag changing.

It’s no coincidence that the vast majority of those opposed to the flag looked like me … white cisgender gay men.

And to all those white cisgender gay men out there who are tired of having your color and gender identity pointed out to you, I suggest you try imagining what it’s like to be a color or gender identity other than your own. And if you were upset about the flag, I’m curious what exactly this takes away from you, really? Does this really affect your life in any meaningful way? Can you consider how much more positively it could impact someone of color compared to whatever negative you think it could bring you?

The mistake here is thinking that adding those two colors on the flag in Philadelphia was only for people of color. This move was beneficial for everybody because of the conversation it’s created about the experiences of LGBT people of color. But it’s beneficial

Philadelphia unfurls their new Pride flag.

(Kelly A. Burkhardt/Philadelphia Office of LGBT Affairs)

only if we’re honest enough with ourselves and reasonable enough with others to have that conversation.

“They’re very difficult conversations to have,” said Amber Hikes, executive director of Philadelphia’s Office of LGBT Affairs, when asked by NBC News about it. “I’ve been very clear about that — this is not going to be an easy process.”

It’s two stripes. If you don’t like it, fly version three of the rainbow flag. That’s right, the flag that people are so upset about changing has changed before. Some people identify with it and fly it. Others don’t, and fly another. There is no national delegation that decides what flag represents us and what flag we all have to fly. The one with black and brown stripes flew in Philadelphia.

You’ll probably see it here and there this fall at Atlanta Pride. Deal with it.

FEEDBACK Re: “Queer Georgia legislator gets cold shoulder, police called after Karen Handel questions,” June 12 “WABE, as a supporter, I find this distressing. Your staff could have handled this better.”

-Clarence Boothill via Facebook Re: “Mark S. King: Those offended by #NoJusticeNoPride should learn LGBT history,” June 12 “If that’s how you see it, gay white men as the enemy, by all means continue. Please, keep generalizing and dehumanizing, that always works out. I read the demands by No Justice No Pride, I thought it was a call for all LGBTQ people to listen to these demands.

You know, the organizers of the Pride event.”

-Dave S. via www.thegeorgiavoice.com “As a gay white man, I will say I cannot understand how anyone would be upset by this article. I think most people would admit gay white men have the most ‘power’ in our community, both politically and in terms of public attention. For every RuPaul, there are 10 Barney Franks or ‘Will & Graces.’ We do have the ability to change our community, and we do have the ability to bring those who are more marginalized in our community with us. With all this crap about the flag in Philly, now this, I am scared for all of us.

Pointing out inequality does not make us GWM bad, ignoring it does.”

-Patrick O’Reilly via www.thegavoice.com Re: “Atlanta installing permanent rainbow crosswalks in Midtown,” June 12 “I was disappointed when they were temporary. Woo hoo! Good news!”

-Diana Hofsommer via Facebook “Proud of my city!”

-Dee Osborne via Facebook Re: “Karen Handel: ‘My faith calls me to a different place’ on gay adoption,” June 16 “And that place is bigotry and discrimination (not public office). This #PrideMonth, let’s make sure that @karenhandel loses another election.”

-@NickMizaur via Twitter 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

IN THE MARGINS

“The mere presence of the police at Pride celebrations is a threat. They aren’t there to keep us safe. Their purpose is the same as it was at Stonewall, to keep us in line.”

By Ashleigh Atwell

Pride, police and #NoJusticeNoPride Ashleigh Atwell is a queer lesbian writer and organizer born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia.

When most people get stopped by the police, the protocol is the smile, drum up some witty banter and, possibly, cleavage, so they can go about their business. For them, being pulled over is anywhere from a minor inconvenience to a pain in the ass.

For Black people, it can be a matter of life and death, regardless of our actions.

As I type, the Black community is in mourning. On June 16, the police officer that murdered Philando Castile walked out of the courtroom a free man. By all accounts, Castile did everything right. He was also a beloved figure in his community.

During that fateful traffic stop, he was polite and let the officer know he was carry-

ing a legal gun. His fiancée, Diamond, was polite and obedient to the officer even as the world watched Castile bleed out via Facebook Live. Still, a jury saw fit to let the officer walk.

Two days after receiving that news, we learned that Charleena Lyles was shot by the police after calling them to report a burglary.

These incidents follow a long history of violence and injustice that Black people have faced from the police and supposed justice system. Just being Black is hard enough, but when you’re noticeably queer or trans, the danger increases. According to a 2016 report by the Solutions Not Punishment Collaborative, 80 percent of trans

women of color reported being stopped by the Atlanta Police Department and nearly half of them said the cops assumed they were sex workers. In the same report, two out of five of the people surveyed ended up getting arrested after calling Atlanta Police for assistance.

These injustices are why the #NoJusticeNoPride movement was created. As the movement progresses, I’ve seen pictures of activists being arrested for disrupting Prides and white LGBT people cheering as they’re being led away in handcuffs.

That imagery was jarring to me because it reminded me of the photos of Black students in the ’60s walking through crowds

of snarling white people as they attempted to integrate a school. That’s shameful behavior at a celebration that was birthed from a damn riot!

The mere presence of the police at Pride celebrations is a threat. They aren’t there to keep us safe. Their purpose is the same as it was at Stonewall, to keep us in line. Atlanta Pride isn’t until October, but I hope #NoJusticeNoPride will have a presence. I’d rather see them than those tacky crosswalks.

It’s time for Pride to return to its roots, and if it has to be dragged there kicking and screaming, so be it.

If we don’t get no justice, y’all don’t get no Pride.

W E ’ R E FA M I LY Y ’A L L

V.I.P . s s a P l a v i t s

Fe

ATLANTAPRIDE.ORG

www.thegeorgiavoice.com

June 23, 2017 Outspoken 13

WORK IT!

LGBT BUSINESS NEWS

Gay-owned, eco-conscious restaurant Radial Cafe opened up a new location in College Park on June 19. (Photo courtesy Radial Cafe)

Radial Cafe’s second location opens Gay-owned, eco-conscious restaurant Radial Cafe opened its second location on June 19, adding a College Park spot to the popular Candler Park one.

Radial Cafe owner Frank Bragg announced plans for the College Park location last November. The 2,700-square foot historic storefront features a 1917 Coca-Cola mural, along with room for up to 130 diners, including a 15-person bar. Formerly home to two white tablecloth restaurants, the space was revamped to feature the “industrial farmhouse” look that’s become Radial’s signature, including hardwood floors, exposed wooden beams and rustic décor.

“If breakfast is the best way to start the day, it also proved to be the best way to open Radial Cafe’s new addition in College Park,” Bragg told Georgia Voice. “A steady flow of customers poured in on our first day, eager for more of what they’d sampled during one of our four open houses the previous week.”

Bragg said a number of College Park’s elected officials stopped by during the open houses, including Mayor Jack Longino and Fire Chief Wade Elmore, along with representatives from Delta, Porsche, Wells Fargo and other local businesses.

Better Way To Meet welcomes Josh Noblitt Better Way To Meet, a professional matchmaking service for gay and bisexual men in the metro Atlanta area, added a new matchmaker

Josh Noblitt

to their ranks.

“Betterwaytomeet. com, Atlanta’s matchmaking service for gay men, welcomes Josh Noblitt as it’s newest matchmaker,” owner Lamont Scales told Georgia Voice.

“If you’re looking for love, Josh can help

find you a match.”

Noblitt is a licensed marriage and family therapist, minister of social justice at Saint Mark United Methodist Church and a former candidate for Georgia House District 59, which stretches from southeast Atlanta down into East Point.

LGBT-owned art studio celebrates anniversary Atlanta artist, photographer and painter Alli Royce Soble is celebrating the third anniversary of her House of Sobolovitz Art Studio with a sale. Art lovers who buy two of her works on paper get the third one free through the end of July. “[I’m] proud to be doing what I love for a living,” Soble told Georgia Voice. “It’s a hustle, but still beyond humbling when someone has chosen to purchase my work to have in their space. My passion to continue documenting Atlanta will always be my fire within.”

Email alliroyce@mac.com to set up an appointment for a studio walk-through.

—Patrick Saunders

14 Community June 23, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

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NATIONAL PRIDE

Pride returns to its roots In anti-LGBT political climate, celebrations shift to demonstrations

By DALLAS ANNE DUNCAN dduncan@thegavoice.com It’s been nearly 50 years since a demonstration at New York City’s Stonewall Inn began the LGBT rights movement.

In the ensuing decades, as more victories were scored for LGBT Americans, what started as a riot demanding equality morphed into parades and festivities celebrating love and unity. But this year, in some cities, Pride returns to its roots.

Earlier this month, that happened with the first Equality March, and with #ResistMarch in Los Angeles, California.

Brian Pendleton, founder of #ResistMarch, learned about the Equality March in Washington, DC, and at first thought of making a trip across the country — only to discover the march was on the same day as the LA Pride Parade.

“It sort of struck me as odd that our brothers and sisters would be marching for our rights in DC, and in LA, we were parading,” he said.

“I ended up joining the board of Christopher Street West, which is the LA Pride organization. They gave me and my newly-formed committee control over Sunday’s activities.”

And the 3.5-mile parade became a thousands-strong protest march.

“We wanted our call to action to be exactly what we were doing: resisting those efforts that were trying to push us back in the closet and divide us,” Pendleton said. “This has always been about social justice. We originally took the to the streets, at least in LA, because of the one-year commemoration of the Stonewall Riots. Getting back to our roots as a protest organization really felt good for us.”

Back to where it all began Atlanta Pride is moving more in this direction, and has been for several years.

“We wanted everyone who feels like their rights are under threat to feel free to join us.

The LGBT community was lending its gigantic, iconic rainbow flag to anyone who felt they were under threat.”

—Brian Pendleton, founder of #ResistMarch in Los Angeles, California “Pride was born out of a movement that was a protest movement,” said Jamie Fergerson, executive director of Atlanta Pride.

“Particularly in times when we are under attack, it’s really important to embrace those roots and look and see what the need is in the community. I do believe that there is space and reason for celebration, but if we become an event or an organization that is completely divorced from that protest, civil rights, social justice movement, then I think that’s an identity crisis.”

Fergerson said the trans and dyke marches during Atlanta Pride are “inherently political,” with no corporate sponsors and no logos.

“If you look at those marches, they are pretty radical marks of claiming space. A lot of the signs and banners are very political in those marches. There are a lot of people who just their being there is a political thing — they’re from a place where it’s not safe to be out and this is their first time to be at a queer event,” she said.

It’s also political when political leaders join in. Nancy Pelosi was among those who participated in #ResistMarch. At one point, Pendleton said, Pelosi didn’t think they were marching fast enough, so she sped up in her high heels to move the coalition along.

An estimated 100,000 people reclaimed the LA Pride Parade as #ResistMarch this year, demonstrating on behalf of marginalized communities whose rights are under threat in the current political climate. (Photo courtesy #ResistMarch)

He said the idea was instead of there being spectators along the streets, to have all of LA in the streets alongside each other. Pendleton also said contrary to popular belief, #ResistMarch wasn’t about the president, but rather to show state legislatures that the marginalized communities of America are “a big, unified force” that won’t stand for discriminatory legislation.

“We wanted everyone who feels like their rights are under threat to feel free to join us,” Pendleton said. “The LGBT community was lending its gigantic, iconic rainbow flag to anyone who felt they were under threat.” #ResistMarchATL? Though the full line-up of festivities for Atlanta Pride hasn’t been announced yet, Fergerson said the racial justice solidarity contingent would be part of the parade this year, as will an expanded and politicized trans march and dyke march.

The festival overall will focus on becoming more intersectional and raising awareness about anti-LGBT sentiment around the globe. However, Fergerson doesn’t believe it’s

Atlanta Pride’s place to completely change over as a Resist-style march.

“One of the best things that we have going is we have spent some real time building relationships that are not just transactional relationships, but real relationships, with other groups in town,” Fergerson said, speaking to some of the committee’s community reinvestment projects. “I think it’s important that we’re supporting those voices that are already there and already trying to do the work rather than make it something on our own. We’re much better positioned to partner and collaborate to do what we can to support the people, that this is their focus. I think if Pride organizations come in and usurp and take it over, I think that is violent and not helpful.”

Fergerson said the Pride committee looks to bring resistance to the front of the parade this year with a relevant tagline.

“We are a big and complex community and we absolutely need to keep social justice the core of our movement, and I think we need a safe space to celebrate,” Fergerson said. “Pride, if we’re doing it well, can be both of those things.”

16 National Pride June 23, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

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NATIONAL PRIDE

Plan your trip to Pride Must-dos in America’s top LGBT destinations

By DALLAS DUNCAN and ROBBIE MEDWED It’s almost a rite of passage to attend another city’s Pride celebration. If you’re making a trip out of it, consider taking a breather from the parades and festivities to enjoy some of the local sights, sounds and flavors that make these cities’ LGBT communities not only proud to bear the rainbow flag, but proud of their hometowns. We rounded out top must-dos for some of the most anticipated Pride vacations: NEW YORK CITY June 23-25 This is where it all began. On June 28, 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street in Manhattan — not an unusual occurrence for the time, but patrons

were sick of it. And this time, they fought back. Now a national landmark, the Stonewall Inn is still open for business daily, offering drink specials, drag bingo, karaoke, dancing, billiards, shows and more. Stop in and pay homage to your roots, and while you’re there, grab a bottle of The Stonewall Inn Wit, a Belgian wit beer brewed by Brooklyn Brewery just for Pride Month. www.thestonewallinnnyc.com AUSTIN, TEXAS Aug. 20-27 The Warehouse District in downtown Austin is the hippest gayborhood in the city, and the Highland Lounge comes as a highly recommended gay nightclub to take in. No cover before 2 a.m., and patrons 21 and older are welcome. It’s also got the district’s largest dance floor, surrounded by an

Top: The North Shore Surf Girls will teach you everything you need to know to ride the waves in Hawaii. Above: Times Square is one thing, but a a trip to NYC Pride isn’t complete without a visit to the Stonewall Inn. (Photos via iStock)

Ibiza-inspired sound system. www.highlandlounge.com CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA Sept. 16-23 Though the obvious must-do while in

town for Pride is taking a photo of the iconic homes known as Rainbow Row, Charleston is a foodie haven and it’s sinful to leave this Southern city without taking in some of its eateries. FIG brings a fluctuating, seasonal menu highlighting the flavors and culture of

18 National Pride June 23, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

NATIONAL PRIDE

Clockwise from left: Charleston Pride is Sept. 16-23, Palm Springs Pride is Nov. 4-5, Las Vegas Pride is Oct. 20-22 and Austin Pride is Aug. 20-27. (Charleston, Las Vegas and Austin photos via iStock. Palm Springs photo is courtesy photo)

the Lowcountry, and offers dishes like heirloom bean salad and Ossabaw suckling pig.

Not far away is Husk, named the best new restaurant in America by Bon Apétit magazine. Menus are updated twice daily, and its local-centric fare includes treats such as Carolina Gold rice hoppin’ john and quail from Manchester Farms served with fresh vegetables. Reservations at both are highly recommended, as is a stop afterward for boozy coffee and cake from Kaminsky’s Dessert Cafe. www.eatatfig.com conic www.huskrestaurant.com eston www.kaminskys.com e this of itsANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA sonalOct. 6-8 ure of Gay Days Disneyland makes everyone www.thegeorgiavoice.com

queen for a day (or three, depending on your stay), but don’t forget to drop by California Adventure theme park as well. Opened in 2001, California Adventure offers visitors Pixar-inspired replicas of some of the state’s favorite tourist hotspots, including the Santa Monica Pier, the wharf and Hollywood. After taking in the attractions, stop by the Cars Land area for a bite to eat at Flo’s V8 Café or the Cozy Cone Motel. www.disneyland.disney.go.com/destinations/Disney-california-adventure HONOLULU, HAWAII Oct. 21 Just a 45-minute drive through the island of Oahu takes you from the state capital to the North Shore, where the North Shore

Surf Girls will teach you everything you need to know to ride the waves. Advanced lessons are available if you’re experienced at hanging 10, and if you made the trip a family affair, they’ll teach the kids, too. www.northshoresurfgirls.com LAS VEGAS, NEVADA Oct. 20-22 In addition to getting hitched by Elvis at one of Sin City’s famed chapels, the LGBT scene in Vegas includes a plethora of shows, nightclubs and more to keep you occupied in-between Pride festivities. There’s a 24hour dance club (Piranha Nightclub), eye candy from the Chippendales, regular drag brunch at Señor Frogs and more. You can even book a LGBT-friendly hotel — Luxor

hosts weekly LGBT pool parties, and there are lovely “pride concierges” at the Wynn Las Vegas and Encore. www.vegas.com/lgbt-travel PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA Nov. 4-5 Make sure your stay includes a Thursday night so you can drop by Village Fest, a weekly arts, crafts and food festival in the Coachella Valley. Streets are closed to traffic and it’s a pedestrian-friendly environment, letting you peruse booths manned by local artists and California favorite companies alike. There’s an entire area known as the “farmers market” for food vendors, including local honey, fresh produce and snacks. www.villagefest.org June 23, 2017 National Pride 19

SU

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Pop Art

High Museum hosts largest Andy Warhol retrospective featuring famous pieces, LGBT-themed works

By DALLAS ANNE DUNCAN dduncan@thegavoice.com

Top: A visitor muses over one of the portrait gallery series in the High Museum’s Andy Warhol exhibit. Bottom: Art collector Jordan Schnitzer with the “Campbell’s Soup Can” prints he donated to the museum. (Photos by Dallas Anne Duncan)

www.thegeorgiavoice.com

Is it possible to go to a grocery store and not think of the “Campbell’s Soup Can” print in the soup aisle?

Is it possible to look at the “Campbell’s Soup Can” on the wall of the High Museum this summer and not think about the effects the rise of consumerism had on the women’s rights movement of the 1960s and ‘70s?

Those are some of the things Portland, Oregon, art collector Jordan Schnitzer wants visitors to think about as they take in the more than 250 works on display from his family’s collection of Andy Warhol pieces. The “sweeping retrospective,” which features a number of prints showcasing themes of Warhol’s life as a gay man, will be at the High through Sept. 3.

‘Sex Parts’ and shadows Though he’s best-known for his serial prints featuring the late actress Marilyn Monroe and Communist Party of China Chairman Mao Zedong — both of which are centerpieces in the High exhibition — a number of pieces in Warhol’s portfolio speak to his sexuality.

Toward the end of the exhibit walk-through is a small room cordoned off with a warning of adult content. In this space is a set of blackand-white prints depicting the intimate details of two men engaging in sexual acts.

This is “Sex Parts,” and these pieces speak directly to Warhol’s life behind closed doors.

“I think they’re stunning, as is all of Andy Warhol’s work artistically,” Schnitzer said.

CONTINUES ON PAGE 26

June 23, 2017 Summer Arts Preview 25

EYE CANDY

What’s on the walls at Atlanta-area art museums Compiled by DALLAS ANNE DUNCAN

Bulgarian-born artist Luba Lukova is known internationally for her graphic poster depicting issues of social justice and human rights, such as this one created for New York Pride in 2016. (Courtesy photo)

MODA welcomes ‘Designing Justice’ Graphic poster exhibit features work of artist Luba Lukova

By DALLAS ANNE DUNCAN dduncan@thegavoice.com Luba Lukova wanted to have a purpose to her paintings. “[Activism] is the purpose of art, of any genre of art, in a way. Not just to entertain, but to say something meaningful about our time and we know that anything is possible in art,” Lukova said.

This summer, her social justice poster portfolio is on display at the Museum of Design Atlanta.

“We think about design as a tool for making a difference, and so much of her work is about issues that we’re all talking about right now. It’s really timely,” said Laura Flusche, MODA executive director.

For an expanded version of this story, visit www.thegavoice.com.

“Luba Lukova: Designing Justice” Through Sept. 3 Museum of Design Atlanta 1315 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta, GA 30309 Tickets: $5 to $10, children under 5 free; available at the door or at www.museumofdesign.org/buy-tickets

High Museum of Art 1280 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta, GA 30309 www.high.org “Universal and Sublime: The Vessels of Magdalene Odundo” explores 30 years of this Kenyanborn sculptor’s handmade, repeatedly fired ceramics. June 24 – Oct. 15 “Technicolor” is an immersive installation of colorful textiles made from both traditional and nontraditional materials, hung alongside quirky glazed ceramics. June 24 – Oct. 15 “Merry Go Zoo” is an outdoor sculpture series fun for all ages, turning the outdoor plaza into a playground. June 24 – Nov. 26

Art collector Jordan Schnitzer said the late gay artist Andy Warhol used striking colors to entice viewers to stop and look at his work, enabling them to ponder the themes he presented. (Photo by Dallas Anne Duncan) CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25

“He was a master colorist, yet that series is black and white.”

Though it wasn’t uncommon for Warhol to create colorless line drawings, “Sex Parts” is rare for being a series done in grayscale.

“Andy Warhol was brilliant at using stunning colors, often to make horrific images — initially — look very pretty. Stop and look at the electric chairs — lovely pastel colors, so you stop and look. If you walk right by a piece of art, you can’t ever think about it, so he uses beautiful colors to get you to stop and look,” Schnitzer said. “In the case of the ‘Sex Parts,’ they’re beautifully drawn, very intimate … but they are devoid of color and I think he didn’t make them for the general public in the way his other series were made and shown in galleries. And maybe he didn’t need the mousetrap of using beautiful color to get people to stop and look at the art, because people who were looking at the ‘Sex Parts’ were not just passing by.”

In addition to “Sex Parts,” Schnitzer reads LGBT themes woven into the “Camouflage” and “Shadows” series.

“The others are far more subtle, and yet just as powerful and in some ways even more,” Schnitzer said. “Camouflage is used for military purposes to hide a soldier from the enemy. But is [Warhol] also suggesting that we all camouflage ourselves; we all have a public persona and image? And is that image different than what lies beneath? Is he

26 Summer Arts Preview June 23, 2017

Details

“Andy Warhol: Prints from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation” Through Sept. 3 High Museum of Art 1280 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30309 Tickets: $14.50 general admission, free for members, available at www.high.org or at the door

suggesting with the ‘Camouflage’ series that much of his life has been covered up, hiding behind his public persona?”

“Shadows,” meanwhile, juxtapose loosely geometric shapes made of black “diamond dust” with neon and primary colors filling up the rest of the page.

“It’s like being drawn into time and memory, looking up into the sky and pondering life,” Schnitzer said. “Does that relate again to his personal journey? Was his private life always sort of in the shadows of his public life, getting back to his being gay?”

‘Art of our time’ “[It’s] an exhibition that harnessed the power of media to appropriate images, study consumer goods, sex, death, disaster, for a body of work that’s revolutionary. The exhibition highlights Warhol’s obsession with repetition, seriality … and Warhol famously blurred these boundaries between original and copy throughout his career,” said Michael Rooks, who curated the exhibit for the High.

Though many of the prints were created

Michael C. Carlos Museum 571 South Kilgo Circle, Atlanta, GA 30332 www.carlos.emory.edu “Coiling Culture: Basketry Art of Native North America” presents one of the earliest art forms of the continent and showcases materials from across the country used to create these practical, yet intricate, pieces. Through Feb. 18, 2018 “Threads of Time: Tradition and Change in Indigenous American Textiles” explores the patterns, materials and techniques used to create nearly 150 examples of Native American fiber art. Aug. 19 through Dec. 17 Zuckerman Museum of Art 492 Prillaman Way, Kennesaw, GA 30144 www.zuckerman.kennesaw.edu “Racecar” brings together artists that consider the nature of a limited and repetitive existence — just like the title of the exhibit, and the associated imagery of cars going around a racetrack. Through July 30 “Medium” will present pieces inspired by pasts haunting the contemporary world, occasionally requiring visitors to undergo a leap of faith to explore their own minds. Aug. 26 – Dec. 3 SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film 1600 Peachtree St. NW, Atlanta, GA, 30309 www.scadfash.org “Project Diaspora” is the first solo photography exhibit by Omar Victor Diop, and presents 18 works narrating the tangled historical relationship between Africa and the rest of the world. Through Aug. 20 “Shoes: Pleasure and Pain” takes visitors on a journey through the history of footwear, displaying more than 200 pairs of shoes, designer sketches, materials and more. Through Aug. 13

decades ago — the entire first room in the exhibit hall features works Warhol created with his mother — Schnitzer said many of the issues are still relevant.

“He was able to translate the themes that were hitting this country,” he said. “ It’s art of our time. It speaks to us of issues that are just as prevalent. … They’re trying to speak to us and have us help shape our values. Who are we?

What are our beliefs? What’s important to us?”

And to really understand that, Schnitzer said, we must go discover for ourselves. www.thegeorgiavoice.com

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Andy Warhol PRINTS

F R O M T H E CO LLE CTI O NS O F JORDA N D. S C HNITZER A ND HIS FA MILY F O U NDATIO N

HIGH MUSEUM OF ART ATLANTA | THROUGH SEPT. 3 | HIGH.ORG | MEMBERS ALWAYS FREE! | #HIGHMUSEUM

Support for Andy Warhol: Prints from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation and related educational and outreach programs has been made possible by a grant from the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation.

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EXHIBITION SERIES SPONSORS

PREMIER EXHIBITION SERIES SUPPORTERS

CONTRIBUTING EXHIBITION SERIES SUPPORTERS

Sarah and Jim Kennedy Anne Cox Chambers Foundation The Antinori Foundation

Corporate Environments Peggy Foreman James F. Kelly Charitable Trust The Lubo Fund Margot and Danny McCaul Joyce and Henry Schwob

Generous support is also provided by the Anne Cox Chambers Exhibition Fund, Alfred and Adele Davis Exhibition Endowment Fund, Forward Arts Foundation Exhibition Endowment Fund, John H. and Wilhelmina D. Harland Exhibition Endowment Fund, Dorothy Smith Hopkins Exhibition Endowment Fund, Howell Exhibition Fund, Helen S. Lanier Endowment Fund, Barbara Stewart Exhibition Fund, and Eleanor McDonald Storza Exhibition Endowment Fund.

Andy Warhol (American, 1928–1987), Ladies and Gentlemen (detail), 1975, screenprint, courtesy of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation. © 2017 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc./Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

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Laughs, drama, love in the air on Atlanta stages Out Front Theatre’s new musical, Serenbe takes on Shakespeare and more

By JIM FARMER It’s a robust time at local theater companies this season. With musicals in every corner of the city and more dramatic fare popping up, here are some of the best offerings — many gay-themed — taking the stage this summer.

Out Front Theatre Company, fresh off its big hit with the Paul Rudnick comedy “The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told,” has a summer production of “Zanna Don’t! A Quantum Football Fable,” in which a high school – Heartsville High – has a role-reversal scenario. Here, being gay is the norm and heterosexuals are subject to scorn. When a young woman and a young man fall in love with each other, chaos erupts. The production is a world premiere reboot – playwright Tim Acito rewrote most of it with the goal of high schools performing it.

The musical “Little Shop of Horrors,” about a plant that grows to gargantuan size and begins munching on humans to survive, makes an anticipated bow at Actor’s Express.

Coming Soon “Macbeth” Through July 9 Serenbe Playhouse 9110 Selborne Lane Chattahoochee Hills, GA 30268 www.serenbeplayhouse.com “Heathers The Musical” July 7 – August 13 OnStage Atlanta 2969 E. Ponce de Leon Ave., Decatur, GA 30030 www.onstageatlanta.com “Between Riverside and Crazy” July 11 – August 6

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The talented Kylie Brown takes on the role of flower shop employee Audrey. We’re excited already.

In ART Station’s “Life Could Be a Dream,” a fledgling doo-wop singing group prepares to enter the Big Whooper Radio contest to realize their dreams of making it to the big time. The song list includes “Fools Fall in Love,” “Tears on My Pillow,” “Runaraound Sue,” “Earth Angel,” “Stay,” “Unchained Melody,” “Lonely Teardrops” and “The Glory of Love.”

The big touring show of the season is Broadway Across America’s take on “An American in Paris,” adapted from the 1951 Academy Award-winning film. It follows an American soldier who, after World War II is over, decides to stay in France and is reunited with a young woman he has become haunted by. Big and splashy and full of heart, it should be a summer treat.

What’s your damage? At Decatur’s OnStage Atlanta comes a musical based on a cult classic film with a high school completely different from the one in “Zanna Don’t.”

“Heathers The Musical” is set in 1989, where Westerberg High is ruled by three Queen Bees: the Heathers. Veronica Sawyer is the school misfit who falls for a murderous new student.

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Hannah Lake Chatham, left, is Veronica and Branden Hembree is JD in OnStage Atlanta’s production of ‘Heathers The Musical,’ premiering July 7. (Photo courtesy OnStage Atlanta)

sicals, the second-annual Atlanta Musical Theatre Festival bows in late July. It features a trio of new shows – Beverly Trader Austin and Bryan Mercer’s “Cakewalk,” Chris Alonzo’s “In the Middle of the Ocean” and Christian Albright and Christian Magby’s “Mother of God.” On the more serious side is the 2015 Pulitzer Prize winner for Best Drama, “Between Riverside and Crazy,” in which a retired police officer is faced with eviction.

This should be worth a peek given the play is a production of Kenny Leon’s high quality True Colors Theatre,.

Finally, never one to relax, Serenbe Playhouse has two new shows, in addition to the recently opened “Robin Hood.” First out of the gate is the company’s take on “Macbeth,” starring film and television star Justin Deeley. The second entrée might be more mouthwatering – the legendary “Cabaret,” with Brian Clowdus, the company’s artistic director, taking on the iconic role of Emcee. Sally Bowles is played here by Broadway actress Molly Tynes. It will be interesting to see what kind of fun Clowdus and crew can have with an outdoor version of the Kit Kat Club.

True Colors Theatre Company Southwest Arts Center 915 New Hope Road Atlanta, GA 30331 www.truecolorstheatre.org

“Little Shop of Horrors” July 15 – August 20 Actor’s Express 887 W. Marietta St., Atlanta, GA 30318 www.actorsexpress.com

“Life Could Be a Dream” July 13 – 30 ART Station 5384 Manor Drive Stone Mountain, GA 30083 www.artstation.org

“The Hunchback of Notre Dame” July 20 – August 27 Aurora Theatre 128 East Pike St. Lawrenceville, GA, 30046 www.auroratheatre.com

Second Annual Atlanta Musical Theatre Festival July 30 – August 1 Out Front Theatre Company 999 Brady Ave. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30318 www.outfronttheatre.com

“Annie Get Your Gun” July 14 – August 6 Stage Door Players 5339 Chamblee Dunwoody Road Dunwoody, GA 30338 www.stagedoorplayers.net

“Zanna Don’t!”

July 27 - 29 Out Front Theatre Company 999 Brady Ave. N.W. Atlanta, GA 30318 www.outfronttheatre.com

“Cabaret” August 3 - 27 Serenbe Playhouse 9110 Selborne Lane Chattahoochee Hills, GA 30268 www.serenbeplayhouse.com “An American in Paris” August 15 – 20 Fox Theatre 660 Peachtree St., Atlanta, GA 30308 www.broadwayacrossamerica.com

28 Summer Arts Preview June 23, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

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Summer movie season light on LGBT fare Possible diamonds in the rough to be found among sequels and superheroes

By JIM FARMER Summer is rarely the time for character studies, intimate dramas or daring storylines – especially for the major studios. The summer of 2017 looks to be no exception, with scant LGBT fare, but sequels galore and lots of superheroes. Unofficially, the summer season for films got underway a month or so ago, with “Wonder Woman” already kicking some box-office butt and “Alien: Covenant” (with its so-called gay content mostly reserved for a prologue not even in the movie) landing with a thud. Ironically, the most anticipated LGBT-themed movie of the summer may have been released 30 years ago.

Debuting way back in 1987, Merchant Ivory’s “Maurice” is a bona-fide gay classic. It has been restored for an anniversary release, opening in Atlanta this weekend. Based on the E.M. Forster novel, it’s about two male English lads – Clive (Hugh Grant) and Maurice (James Wilby) – who fall in love until Clive decides to marry a woman. It’s a beautiful film – and the opportunity to see it on the big screen should not be missed.

Out actress Kate McKinnon joins the likes of Scarlett Johansson, Zoe Kravitz and more in the raunchy comedy “Rough Night,” in which five best friends from college gather a decade later for a bachelorette weekend in Miami that leaves a male stripper dead. Gay actor Colton Haynes also stars. Reviews have been all over the map, so proceed with caution.

Del Shore’s “A Very Sordid Wedding’ is the long-awaited sequel to his gay cult classic “Sordid Lives” from 2000. Most of the original cast returns for this go-round, including Bonnie Bedelia, Leslie Jordan and Ann Walker, with some new faces too, such as Caroline Rhea and Whoopi Goldberg. It www.thegeorgiavoice.com

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Coming Soon “Rough Night” Now playing in metro Atlanta theaters “Maurice” Opens June 23 Midtown Art Cinema 931 Monroe Drive, Atlanta, GA 30038 www.landmarktheatres.com “A Very Sordid Wedding” June 28 - 29 Midtown Art Cinema 931 Monroe Drive, Atlanta, GA 30038 www.landmarktheatres.com “The Beguiled” Opens June 30 in metro Atlanta theaters “Spider-Man: Homecoming” Opens July 6 in metro Atlanta theaters “Do You Take This Man” In limited theaters July 7 and on VOD/DVD July 11 www.landmarktheatres.com “Whose Streets?”

August 11 TBD theaters

Clockwise from top: ‘A Very Sordid Sequel,’ ‘Whose Streets?’ and ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ all hit theaters this summer.

(Publicity photos)

“Strong Island” Debuting late summer/early fall in limited release and on Netflix www.netflix.com

comes to town via Out On Film for a special two-day engagement.

In the star-studded “Do You Take This Man,” friends and family gather at the house of two grooms (Anthony Rapp and Jonathan Bennett) as they prepare to tie the knot. Yet the stress of the day, the return of a long-lost friend and some secrets that surface threaten to ruin the wedding. It can be a little talky, but it’s ultimately quite effective. In a terrific ensemble, Alyson Hannigan (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) is particularly strong as Rapp’s divorced sister. Whether or not it comes to town via a theatrical release remains to be seen, but it will be available via VOD. “Strong Island,” which made its debut at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and took the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award

for Storytelling, is a highly acclaimed work by trans filmmaker Yance Ford. In the (very personal) film, he looks at the violent murder of his own brother as well as the judicial system, which allows the killer to keep his freedom.

Another powerful documentary to look out for this summer is Sabaah Folayan’s “Whose Streets?” The film examines the Ferguson uprising and how St. Louis activists and queer leaders cried out for justice – and turned into freedom fighters – on behalf of 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was unarmed when killed by police. It was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at Sundance.

It doesn’t appear to have any LGBT content, but one of the prestige projects of the season is “The Beguiled,” which won So-

fia Coppola a directing award at the recent Cannes Film Festival. In it, a wounded Civil War soldier is taken in at a girl’s school in Virginia. The women inside have been sheltered, for the most part, from the outside world. Sexual tension ensues as do some surprising twists. The cast alone – Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, Elle Fanning, and Colin Farrell – makes it required viewing.

LGBT fare probably won’t appear either in the Marvel reboot of “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” which has a new Peter Parker in actor Tom Holland and the likes of Chris Evans (as Captain America) and Robert Downey Jr. (as Iron Man) in the cast as well. But it was filmed in the ATL, and LGBT comic book fans are all abuzz.

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What’s queer on summer’s small screens?

13 shows with LGBT tie-ins to keep you cool through August

By PATRICK SAUNDERS psaunders@thegavoice.com An Australian import. An Oprah original. A reality remake. “True Blood”-style shenanigans. And Kevin Arnold all grown up and playing gay. There’s not many similarities among the gayest shows we found hitting the air and streaming this summer, and that’s the way we like it. Now, let’s make your queue more queer.

“Queen Sugar” Premiered June 20 on OWN

Creator, director and executive producer Ava DuVernay (“Selma,” “13th”) is back (along with executive producer Oprah Winfrey) for season two of this series set in Louisiana and featuring Rutina Wesley as bisexual journalist Nova Bordelon. The season’s all-female directing team also includes black lesbian filmmaker Cheryl Dunye and Latinx lesbian writer/director Aurora Guerrero.

“Younger” Premieres June 28 on TV Land

Openly gay “Beverly Hills 90210,” “Melrose Place” and “Sex and the City” creator Darren Star brings us season four of this female-centric series. Sutton Foster stars as a recently divorced 40-year-old mother who gets a makeover to pass for 26 at a New York City publishing firm. Helping her along the way? Her lesbian best friend and roommate, played by Debi Mazar.

“Battle of the Network Stars” Premieres June 29 on ABC

You read that right, children of the ‘70s and ‘80s. The competition show is back with dozens of classic characters from a ton of old-school and new-school series competing in teams – think TV sitcom vs. TV

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kids, or White House shows vs. lawyers.

Openly gay ‘N Sync-er Lance Bass (competing on the variety team) and out actor John Barrowman (“Doctor Who,” “Arrow”) are in it to win it.

“3030” Premieres June 30 on REVRY

Did you know there’s a streaming service featuring exclusively LGBT content? A queer Netflix, if you will? It’s called REVRY, and its latest offering is this new series from Atlanta director Onyx Keesha chronicling the lives of two platonic lesbian roommates living in modern-day Las Vegas.

“Gypsy” Premieres June 30 on Netflix

This new Netflix offering is a psychological thriller starring Naomi Watts as a Manhattan-based therapist who develops dangerous relationships with the people in her patients’ lives. One such relationship?

A tryst with the wife of a patient. Her husband (played by Billy Crudup) is not the only one sure to find this problematic.

“Janet King” Premieres July 3 on Acorn TV

Curve magazine said that award-winning Australian actress Marta Dusseldorp gives an “amazing” performance as the out title character in this legal drama, calling her the “queen of TV lesbians.” This season, King takes on the world of professional sports as she investigates the death of a young cricketer.

“The Fosters” Premieres July 11 on Freeform

A lesbian wife-wife team raises a multi-ethnic blended family in this family drama series that continues to scoop up fans and GLAAD awards as it enters its fifth season. Co-created by Peter Paige (Emmett from “Queer As Folk”), the show made headlines in 2015 after airing the youngest same-sex kiss on U.S. television.

Rutina Wesley, right, plays a bisexual journalist in the drama series ‘Queen Sugar,’ premiering June 20 on OWN. (Photo courtesy OWN) “The Bold Type” Premieres July 11 on Freeform

Nikohl Boosheri (“Faking It”) plays recurring character Adena El-Amin, a Muslim lesbian feminist photographer, in this new drama series inspired by the life of former Cosmopolitan editor-in-chief Joanna Coles.

You wanna know how we know this show is gay? It’s based on the book series by “True Blood” author Charlaine Harris. Jason Lewis (“Sex and the City”) co-stars as an easygoing tattoo artist who lives a quiet life with his husband and their dog and oh yeah ... he has the supernatural powers of an angel. Enjoy.

“Friends From College” Premieres July 14 on Netflix

“Atypical” Premieres Aug. 11 on Netflix

Gay actor/comedian/accoster (“Billy on the Street”) Billy Eichner has a four-episode arc on this highly-anticipated new Netflix comedy. It stars Keegan-Michael Key, Cobie Smolders and Fred Savage (we see you, Kevin Arnold!) as, well, the title says it all. Plus, Eichner and Savage’s characters become romantically involved.

Out actor Keir Gilchrist (who played gay teen Marshall Gregson on “United States of Tara”) stars in this coming-of-age comedy about the life of an 18-year-old on the autism spectrum. Jennifer Jason Leigh and Michael Rappaport play the parents, and keep an eye out for “Looking” star Raul Castillo in a supporting role.

“Game of Thrones” Premieres July 16 on HBO

Spoiler alert if you aren’t caught up through season six! We’re good? OK, so last season, Cersei used wildfire to blow up the Sept of Baelor, killing off numerous memorable characters in the process – including our favorite gay knight, Loras Tyrell. But keep an eye out for lesbian badass Yara Greyjoy in season seven.

“Midnight, Texas” Premieres July 24 on NBC

“Difficult People” Premieres Aug. 8 on Hulu

Billy Eichner’s busy as usual this year as he kicks off the third season of this comedy created by co-star Julie Klausner. They play struggling and jaded New York City comedians, but they are anything but struggling in real life, as you’ll notice by the frequent appearances of famous, funny friends like Martin Short, Kate McKinnon, Seth Meyers and Tina Fey.

30 Summer Arts Preview June 23, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

EATING MY WORDS

By CLIFF BOSTOCK

Birthday favorites in and out of town The birthday monster arrived at my door June 16 to scrape more hair from my scalp and drain more collagen from my flesh. Instead of hiding, I decided to treat myself to a few things.

Primarily, I wrangled friends into meals at restaurants headed by two of my favorite chefs.

First was BoccaLupo (753 Edgewood Ave., 404-577-2332, boccalupoatl.com).

Owner-chef Bruce Logue’s changing menu of Italian-American food has been among my favorites ever since he moved to Atlanta almost 10 years ago and became the opening chef at the now defunct La Pietra Cucina.

Before that, Logue worked at the renowned Babbo in New York, among other notable restaurants in the USA and Italy.

Logue continues Babbo’s blend of classic Italian techniques featuring local ingredients.

Above all, his cooking is highly inventive. He culls the globe. For example, a favorite starter is dubbed bruschetta banh mi, mashing up the classic Italian toasted bread with the iconic Vietnamese sandwich. The toppings include long-cooked pork, a layer of chicken liver and a bit of giardineria, the Italian relish. My one complaint was what seemed to me like an excess of onion. Nobody agreed with me.

I love chicken liver, so I couldn’t resist an entrée of open-face ravioli with lusciously tender, broad noodles folded over the chicken livers with green marlmalade and pink-eyed peas on the side. The dish was heavily scattered with herbs, and I have to say the plating was not too appealing, but, hey, they hid something so rich, I had to take home a third of it.

Other dishes we ordered – most of which I’ve had before – included calamari in a Sicilian tomato broth with pine nuts and capers; fried cauliflower with mint and capers; super-rich 20-egg tagliatelle with wild mushrooms and “kale kimchi;” and a hilariously wonderful Southern fried chicken parmesan you need to order. We had two desserts. The best was cream cheese panna cotta with blueberry jelly and squid-ink crumbs.

The lesser was chocolate mezzacotta – a gooey, molten-pudding-cake-like substance that would make a good facial mask during kinky sex.

My other meal was brunch at the Red Barn Cafe, two hours away in Rabun County (2592 Old Highway 441 South, Tiger, GA, www.thegeorgiavoice.com

The Red Barn Cafe in Rabun County is known for its delicious, creative small plates. (Photo by Cliff Bostock)

30576, 404-563-3706, tigerwine.com).

I went here last year too, drawn by Chef David Sweeney, the best vegetarian chef in the country. He works here only during the summer and fall. The cafe is open weekends – Fridays for dinner, Saturdays for lunch and dinner and Sundays for brunch.

The local clientele demands meat, of course, so there’s way more than you’d expect from Sweeney. Small-plate examples are “memaw’s favorite liverwurst toast.” It’s a study in earthy flavors you spike with whole grain mustard, radishes and half-sour pickles. There’s also chunks of hollowed cucumber filled with deviled ham. But my favorites by far were the perfect orbs of falafel with a turmeric yogurt, pickled pepper, cucumber, sesame and cilantro.

Second was purple daikon topped with cashew cream, a concoction that included shiitake mushrooms, turmeric and chives.

We only ordered one entrée – a sandwich of turkey schnitzel on a brioche bun with marinated cukes and fried potatoes. It was just as novel as every other dish. We were way too full to try the chocolate pie with a maca-almond crust, golden berries and toasted coconut. But the view of the Tiger Mountain Vineyards, and a bottle of their wine for my friends, was enough sweetness. I hope the grave is as nice.

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

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Our Guide to the Best LGBT Events in Atlanta for June 23-July 7

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SATURDAY, JUNE 24

Gay Atlanta artist Ajmal Millar (pictured), in collaboration with DJ Sir Daniel, presents Prizmatic: A Shuffle and Repeat and Art by Ajmal Event. Millar curated the paintings and photography of a team of black men known as the Renegade Art Collective and will also present a taste of Carnival with a glowing tribute to the orishas, while DJ Sir Daniel will frame the evening with the classic-futuristic sounds of Pharrell Williams. There will also be special presentations from art director/graphic designer Chris Barker and singer/ songwriter Ron Shirley II. 9 p.m. – 12 a.m., Castleberry Hill Art District, 321 Nelson St. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30313, www.facebook.com/events/1366165350164431 (Publicity photo)

FRIDAY, JUNE 23 – SUNDAY, JUNE 25

EVENT SPOTLIGHT FRIDAY, JUNE 23

Bright Light Bright Light comes to Atlanta for his debut live show in the city and state. The hit album “Choreography” features part-time Atlantan Elton John as well as Scissor Sisters and Alan Cumming, 8 p.m., Aisle 5, 1123 Euclid Ave. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30307, www.aisle5atl.ticketfly.com/ event/1465262-bright-light-bright-lightatlanta/ (Publicity photo)

32 Best Bets June 23, 2017

The second annual Southwest Atlanta Pride 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, various locations, www.facebook.com/ events/1831777627141010

FRIDAY, JUNE 23

The Atlanta Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce hosts Rise of the Rainbow Economy, a day-long seminar exploring the intersectionality of personal, professional and social responsibility

and advocacy through micro-networking, interactive panel discussions with local and national business leaders and an overview of the state of today’s LGBT economy, Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta, 75 14th St. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30309, bit.ly/2sKzPUH

Not into basketball? Then come out to the ball field for the Atlanta Braves LGBT Night, 7:35 p.m., SunTrust Park, 755 Battery Ave. S.E., Atlanta, GA 30339. LGBT Night ticket packages are $32 and available at m.mlb.com/atl/tickets/info/lgbt-night

A restored version of the Merchant Ivory gay classic “Maurice” opens today at the Midtown Art Cinema, 931 Monroe Drive, Atlanta, GA 30308, www.landmarktheatres.com

SATURDAY, JUNE 24

It’s Atlanta Dream Pride Night as the Dream hosts the Chicago Sky, 7:30 p.m., McCamish Pavilion at Georgia Tech, 965 Fowler St. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30313, dream.wnba.com

Join Atlanta Pride for a day of fun in the sun at Six Flags Over Georgia. Best value includes all-day admission, an all-youcan-eat meal at JB’s Sports bar from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., an ice-cream social/dance party with DJ Canvas from 5 – 7 p.m. and free parking for $63.59 (tax included).

275 Riverside Parkway S.W., Austell, GA, 30168, www.atlantapride.org/events/ stride-pride-six-flags-georgia-2

www.thegeorgiavoice.com

SUNDAY, JUNE 25

Film and television star Justin Deeley stars in a revisionist version of “Macbeth” at Serenbe Playhouse, at 8 p.m. tonight running through July 9, 11213 Serenbe Lane, Chattahoochee Hills, GA 30268, www.serenbeplayhouse.com (Publicity photo)

It’s the eighth annual Augusta Pride 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. 10:30 a.m. – 5 p.m., various locations, www.facebook.com/ AugustaPride

staff and supporters at the Cathy for Atlanta Stonewall Event to celebrate this important date in LGBT history. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres will be served.

Henry’s Midtown, 132 10th St. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30309. Tickets can be purchased at act.myngp.com/cathywoolard/june26th

SUNDAY, JUNE 25

LGBT youth organization JustUsATL presents TransIt Games and Pizza, a weekly support/social group at Saint Mark United Methodist Church. Bring your favorite game and possibly a snack to share. 7 – 9 p.m., 781 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30308, www.facebook.com/ events/1922493514676573

The Fulcrum LGBTQ Group offers a safe space where people of all backgrounds and orientations can share personal experiences and insight into LGBTQ-related struggles and triumphs. Meetings are peer-facilitated, and discussion surrounds topics that relate to all.

Tonight’s meeting is from 6 – 8 p.m. at the Phillip Rush Center, 1530 DeKalb Ave. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30307, fulcrumlgbtq.wixsite.com/0305

MONDAY, JUNE 26

June 26 signifies a series of historic victories for the LGBT community. It marks the anniversaries of three Supreme Court cases – Lawrence v. Texas (striking down anti-sodomy laws), Windsor (striking down Section 3 of DOMA) and Obergefell (guaranteeing marriage equality) – that remind us that time arcs towards justice and equality. Join Cathy Woolard for Atlanta Mayor

www.thegeorgiavoice.com

TUESDAY, JUNE 27

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28

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 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

THURSDAY, JUNE 29

The Stonewall Bar Association of Georgia’s Stonewall Summer Party is tonight at the home of Stonewall President Kat Schuller, 3639 N. Druid Hills Road, Decatur, GA 30033, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m., www.facebook.com/ events/1590806760929586 Do you want to read books by amazing black women writers? Do you want to discuss works from a black feminist perspective in a feminist bookstore? Then the Black Feminist Book Club is for you. Charis Circle board chair Susana Morris will be the facilitator of this group. This season’s theme is radical memoirs by black women and the June book is “Dawn” by Octavia Butler, which is contained in the collection “Lillith’s Brood,” 7 – 9 p.m., Charis Books and More, 1189 Euclid Ave. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30307, www.charisbooksandmore.com

FRIDAY, JUNE 30 – SATURDAY, JULY 1

As America settles into new and controversial leadership, Atlanta Gay Men’s

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EVENT SPOTLIGHT SUNDAY, JUNE 25

Sheryl Crow will sing hits such as “Soak up the Sun” as well as newer material from her Be Myself Tour tonight at 8 p.m. at Chastain Park Ampitheatre, 4469 Stella Drive N.W., Atlanta, GA 30342, www.chastainseries.com (Publicity photo)

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VOICES OF NOTE PRESENTS

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28 – THURSDAY, JUNE 29

Out On Film presents the Georgia debut of “A Very Sordid Wedding,” the sequel to the beloved “Sordid Lives,” with Q&A by the film’s director/writer Del Shores, producer/actor Emerson Collins and cast members Ann Walker and Levi Kreis, 7:00 and 9:30 p.m. both nights, Midtown Art Cinema, 931 Monroe Drive, Atlanta, GA 30308, www.outonfilm.org (Publicity photo)

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JUN 30 & JUL 1 Friday at 8PM Saturday at 8PM

TICKETS AND M O R E AT:

AGMCHORUS.ORG

SPONSORED BY

This program is supported in part by the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, and the Georgia Council for the Arts through the appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly.

GCA also receives support from its partner agency—the National Endowment for the Arts. Funding for this program is also provided by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners.

34 Best Bets June 23, 2017

Chorus revisits its highly successful 2010 concert “All You Need is Love: The Music of the Beatles.” The chorus will bring back many hits including “With a Little Help from My Friends,” “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” and “All You Need is Love” as it celebrates six decades of timeless music by the Fab Four. In addition to great music, the show will feature costumes, choreography and multimedia effects. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Rialto Center for the Arts, 80 Forsyth St. S.W., Atlanta, GA 30303, www.voicesofnote.org

FRIDAY, JUNE 30

The Auburn Avenue Research Library, in collaboration with the Bronze Lens Film Festival, will host a screening of Ava Duvernay’s extraordinary documentary, “13th.” Titled after the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which abolished slavery, except as punishment for a crime, this compelling film examines the intersectionality of race, justice and mass incarceration in the United States. Community activist and attorney Mawuli Davis will facilitate a post-screening panel discussion.

Discussants include: Lee Reid, executive director of Atlanta Citizen Review Board; Azadeh Shahshahani, legal and advocacy director of Project South; and Briana Jenkins, project manager with Forever Family, Inc. This event is free and open to the public at

7 p.m., 101 Auburn Ave. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30303, www.afpls.org/aarl The Atlanta Dream hosts the Los Angeles Sparks tonight at 7:30 p.m., Georgia Tech McCamish Pavilion, 965 Fowler St. N.W, Atlanta, GA 30313, dream.wnba.com

SATURDAY, JULY 1

People of all walks of life, ethnicities, religions, sexual orientations and genders will rise together across the nation for the Rise Up 5K in beautiful Grant Park. Proceeds from registration fees go to a social justice cause of your choice, and a race shirt and commemorative bib are included. 8 a.m., 840 Cherokee Ave. S.E., Atlanta, GA 30312, localraces.com/ rise-up-5k/rise-up-5k-atlanta-ga Atlanta BearFest brings back the Mr. Atlanta Bear/Cub contest this year, tonight at 8 p.m., Atlanta Eagle, 306 Ponce de Leon Ave. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30308, www.atlantaeagle.com

SUNDAY, JULY 2

Wake up and make some joyful noise with the Sisters of Sequin this morning at Gospel Brunch at Lips Atlanta, 3011 Buford Hwy., Atlanta, GA 30329, www.atldragshow.com

MONDAY, JULY 3

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 The PFLAG support group for parents and families of LGBT children meets tonight from 7:30 – 9 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta, 1911 Cliff Valley Way N.E., Atlanta, GA 30329, www.uuca.org

TUESDAY, JULY 4

Make your lunch break a networking opportunity and connect with business professionals, small business owners and community sponsors to expand your circle of influence and grow your business at Connecting Atlanta, a networking lunch by Metro Atlanta Association of Professionals (MAAP). Join MAAP at Egg Harbor Cafe the first Tuesday of every month from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. for a networking lunch. The event is limited to 20 participants. Please pre-register by emailing harborlunch@maapatl.org, 1820 Peachtree Road N.E., Atlanta, GA 30309, www.maapatl.org/event-calendar

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VS

CALL 877.977.7729 VISIT ATLANTADREAM.NET

#RWTD

@ATLANTADREAM

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

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 5

Ready to be Melissa Etheridge for the night? Come enjoy karaoke at My Sister’s Room beginning at 9 p.m., 66 12th St., Atlanta, GA 30309 www.mysistersroom.com

THURSDAY, JULY 6

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 30307, www.rushcenteratl.org Building on the activist tradition of consciousness-raising groups, each month Charis Books and More invites community members to join The Personal is Political, a lightly facilitated group to talk about issues in their personal lives or in society as a whole that they are trying to process or deconstruct. The group will then use intersectional feminist strategies as tools to help talk through those issues, 7:30 – 9 p.m., 1189 Euclid Ave. N.E., Atlanta, GA

SATURDAY, JULY 15

“Feed me, Seymour!” Actor’s Express opens its version of the classic musical “Little Shop of Horrors” tonight at 8 p.m. running through August 20, 887 West Marietta St. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30318, www.actorsexpress.com (Photo via Facebook) 30307, www.charisbooksandmore.com

UPCOMING FRIDAY, JULY 7 – SUNDAY, JULY 9

Francis Bennett, a transgender teacher, former Trappist and Buddhist Monk, presents Deep Listening from Presence,

PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY

36 Best Bets June 23, 2017

a silent retreat in the Georgia foothills. The daily schedule includes periods of meditation and Satsang and time for personal reflection. Outside of the Satsang, where questions may be asked, the retreat will be held in silence, Elohee Center, 1478 Bean Creek Road, Sautee Nacoochee, GA 30571, www.elohee.org/retreat/958/theart-of-listening-from-presence

FRIDAY, JULY 7

Kick back under the stars on the great lawn and enjoy the amazing sounds of Michael Feinstein: Songs of Sinatra during Concerts in the Garden, 8 p.m., Atlanta Botanical Garden, 1345 Piedmont Ave., Atlanta, GA 30309, atlantabg.org/visit/events/ michael-feinstein

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www.thegeorgiavoice.com

THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID

By MELISSA CARTER

Facebook oversharing crosses lines OK. Enough is enough, people. Some of you on Facebook have lost your damn minds.

While scrolling on my Facebook feed recently, I saw a picture of an open casket.

That’s right, someone decided the perfect time to break out the phone and take a picture is during a funeral when they approached an open casket. There are some things I don’t want to see on Facebook and, as you can imagine, that is one of them.

The problem is that wasn’t a unique violation of my eyes. You tend to violate so many other common sense rules on Facebook that no wonder young kids have no interest in opening a Facebook account. Really, studies show kids don’t think Facebook is cool and I believe that is because they see their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins completely overshare.

For instance, you post pictures from the hospital. Even worse, it’s not while you’re visiting anyone, it’s while you’re in the hospital.

First of all, a hospital gown is rarely flattering, and neither is the fluorescent lighting above a gurney, so why in the hell are you taking a selfie at that time? Even more of a violation is when you are visiting someone who has been admitted into the hospital and you take a picture of that other person during the most unflattering times. They don’t want that posted, and even if I was dozing off from anesthesia, I would knock that phone out of your hand if I saw you taking a picture of me half out of it with an IV hanging out of my arm.

On a lesser level, but just as frustrating, is your need to take pictures of people who are sick at home. Maybe it’s to prove they really are sick if they called into work, but don’t post pictures of anyone sick. Why would I want to see someone who is not feeling well?

To be honest, it’s a little awkward.

And you parents who post pics of kids either in the hospital or at home who don’t feel well, shame on you. They don’t want

“I use Facebook on a daily basis and still think it is a great way to stay in touch with those you no longer see, or to get the word out about an event or issue you want to share, but how about we stop being ridiculous in what we want others to see?” that, and aren’t you supposed to be making them some chicken noodle soup instead of staring into your phone? It seems Facebook has simply become an online prayer line, and your need to make your kid look as pitiful as possible to get attention is offensive. Come on.

I use Facebook on a daily basis and still think it is a great way to stay in touch with those you no longer see, or to get the word out about an event or issue you want to share, but how about we stop being ridiculous in what we want others to see? If you wouldn’t place a picture in a frame in your office, then why are you posting it online?

The media has to receive waivers to include images of anyone they capture on camera, and I’m starting to believe that restriction might have to apply to individuals on social media as well.

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.

38 Columnists June 23, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

SOMETIMES ‘Y’

By RYAN LEE

Cuddling for sluts As someone whose relationship goals are focused on one-night stands rather than long-term monogamy, I’ve learned the importance of cuddling responsibly.

When it comes to intimacy, I operate on an inverted sexual diamond, with first base equaling penetrative sex, hitting a double leading to oral, cuddling is third base and a home run would be kissing. Consider me a graduate of the Kit de Luca School of Courtship, where sluts are taught, a la “Pretty Woman,” never to kiss a trick on the mouth.

I’m kind of a gold-medal cuddler, to the point my last ex-boyfriend nicknamed me his Snuggle Bear in the opening weeks of our fiveyear relationship. That’s because I view cuddling as an artistic sport, similar to water ballet or pairs figure skating, with symbiotic rhythm in our legs, torsos, arms and necks, until our heartbeats synchronize and we coalesce under the covers.

I’ve made the mistake of cuddling with booty calls before, only to have my casual affection misinterpreted as a marriage proposal, and one of the main benefits of being militantly single is avoiding the awkwardness of unrequited emotions. It had been years since I was lying intertwined with another man, but it felt nice to start my Father’s Day weekend snuggling with my newest regular, and end it in the arms of the guy I’ve been hooking up with the longest.

Neither cuddling session was planned, or laden with assumptions about exclusivity, just our bodies absorbing each other and the moment. Watching a marathon of “Chicago Ink” on Sunday evening, my cuddle buddy asked me how I met the mutual friend who introduced us 12 years ago.

“On Men4Now,” I said, feeling no pressure to make up a more respectable answer. “But he and I have never had any type of physical contact beyond hugging or hand shakes.”

“Why not?”

“Because we met under the pretense of something else, either smoking or tennis, and I was determined to keep it at that,” I said. “I remember being at a point in my life where I needed friends I hadn’t fucked, www.thegeorgiavoice.com

“When it comes to intimacy, I operate on an inverted sexual diamond, with first base equaling penetrative sex, hitting a double leading to oral, cuddling is third base and a home run would be kissing. Consider me a graduate of the Kit de Luca School of Courtship, where sluts are taught, a la ‘Pretty Woman,’ never to kiss a trick on the mouth.” and he was one of the first strictly platonic friends I made as an adult.”

Our mutual friend moved away, and it was another year before I again saw the guy who would eventually be my Father’s Day date. We bumped into each other at the club, then did some bumping-and-grinding on the dance floor before heading to my apartment and enjoying the sex we had both wanted since we first saw each other.

Had he asked me to be his boyfriend that night, I would’ve eagerly, foolishly, accepted.

Instead, he soon moved to another state, too, and it would be six years before I saw an online profile of someone who resembled him, and asked if he knew someone by the name of our mutual friend.

“Ryan!!!” he replied, matching my delight.

We had sex that night, and about twice a year since then, but our Father’s Day kickback was our first time connecting since last June.

“Then and now, you are everything I want in a man,” I told him as we talked about when we met. “Your looks, your style, your vibe, your voice, your heart – which is why I’m so glad we were never boyfriends.”

“Why you say that?” he asked with a laugh.

“Because we wouldn’t be here right now,” I said. “I know you love hard, and you’re mean as fuck, and we would absolutely hate each other after a couple of years together.”

“I do love hard.”

“And I love you,” I said, sincerely.

“I love you, too,” he said, unconditionally.

Ryan Lee is an Atlanta writer.

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June 23, 2017 Columnists 39

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