08/05/22, Vol. 13 Issue 10

IMPORTANT FACTS FOR BIKTARVY®

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

(bik-TAR-vee)

MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT BIKTARVY

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF BIKTARVY

BIKTARVY may cause serious side effects, including:

BIKTARVY may cause serious side effects, including:

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

 Those in the “Most Important Information About BIKTARVY”

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

section.

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

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

 Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare

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

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

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

infection.  Have any other health problems.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

HOW TO TAKE BIKTARVY

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take:

Take BIKTARVY 1 time each day with or without food.

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

GET MORE INFORMATION

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

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

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

Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more.

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

program information.

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

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

Ask your healthcare provider if BIKTARVY is right for you.

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

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voice

georgia

VOLUME 13• ISSUE 10 About the cover:

WE’RE ALL

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4 EDITORIAL AUGUST 5, 2022

EDITORIAL

ARTISTS Katie Burkholder Historically speaking, the world of art has had a bit of an accessibility problem. Of course, there have always been starving artists, but for years in order to be an artist who could afford to feed oneself, you needed wealth, education, connections, and time.

This means that for a long time, the world of art — especially media with high barriers to entry like film and fine art — was dominated by those with the social power to do so: wealthy, straight white men.

All art, regardless of medium, is an act of narrative building. For centuries, paintings, novels, songs, and films have informed the values and beliefs of the dominant culture.

When straight white men dominated the art world, their ideas, thoughts, and feelings dominated as well. That’s because art is a reflection of the artist. Regardless of how you enact your creativity, art takes the abstract — pain, emotion, ideas, truth — and makes them physical. Art is about taking your inner world outside of you and showing it to the world.

This is something I fall victim to all the time. My chosen creative medium is writing (obviously). I often use writing to work through painful emotions and express complicated opinions. It’s the process of writing, less so the end product, that’s so sacred to me. Yet, every time I write something, I have this feeling that what I made isn’t valid unless other people look at and enjoy it.

Today, art is more accessible than ever before. With the advent of social media, more and more artists are able to make a living for themselves, even if they’re not the next Picasso. However, as social media algorithms and cryptocurrencies become more and more out of control (or rather, in control), the pursuit of art becomes more commercialized. Suddenly, art isn’t about self-expression. It’s about engagement and profit. Art created for these means is no longer a reflection of the artist; it’s a reflection of the audience, or at least what the artist thinks the audience wants.

When we engage in creativity for creativity’s sake and acknowledge the value of art outside of profit or praise, we engage in something life-affirming. In the face of systems that threaten our lives, we create our own communities that affirm our humanity and have our backs. The LGBTQ community has a long history of creation.

Queer cultural traditions like tea dances, ballroom, and drag were all created out of this need to see ourselves as we are and to share these authentic selves with our own self-created world, a world that won’t attack, oppress, or suppress us.

PEXELS.COM / FELICITY TAI

In this way, we’re all artists, even if we don’t put pen to paper or paint to canvas.

When you solve a problem, plan an event, or craft an argument, you’re being creative.

You’re using your personal paradigm — the unique experiences, emotions, and opinions that make you you — to create something that once didn’t exist, something that can maybe help others see a world worth living in.

Throughout this issue, you will find a parade of queer art that will teach you more about yourself and others. But to truly explore your inner world, embrace the artist in you.

Even if you don’t have the practical skills of a capital-A Artist, think, feel, and trust yourself to create. Even if you hate the end product, the process will be illuminating. We all have complex inner lives and the universal desire to be understood and seen, and creativity is a muscle we all possess that, when flexed, allows us to know ourselves and the world we live in more intimately.

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

U.S. Surpasses Spain in Monkeypox Cases The U.S. now has the highest levels of monkeypox in the world, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

As of July 29, the last time the CDC case count was updated at the time of writing, there are 4,906 reported cases of monkeypox in the U.S., causing the U.S. to surpass Spain with 4,298 cases.

351 cases have been reported in Georgia, the second highest in the South after Florida with 373.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on July 23, the strongest call to action the agency can make. The most recent such announcement was for COVID-19 in 2020.

Infectious disease experts have warned that the number of monkeypox cases is likely higher than the numbers reported, and more testing and contact tracing would reveal a far larger number of cases. Worldwide, there have been 22,485 reported cases in 79 countries, surging from only around 200 at the end of May. The U.S. has yet to declare a public health emergency, despite the surge in cases. The White House has also yet to appoint a monkeypox coordinator.

“The pandemic, which has held the United States and almost every other country in its grip, should have taught us valuable lessons about how to manage a public health emergency, but it seems we are making some of the same mistakes we made not even three years ago, when the SARS-CoV-2 virus started to spread,” Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent, wrote on July 31.

Plans have been announced to distribute an additional 800,000 doses of monkeypox vaccine, but as Dr. Gupta writes, “the demand for vaccines is outpacing the supply.”

6 NEWS AUGUST 5, 2022

The U.S. now has the highest levels of monkeypox in the world, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). PHOTO VIA STANFORD UNIVERSITY While anyone can contract monkeypox through close personal contact, many of the people who are being affected by it are gay and bisexual men. Monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted infection, but it can be transmitted through sexual and intimate contact as well as through shared bedding.

The virus spreads through contact with body fluids and sores. Symptoms for monkeypox are similar to the flu, including fever, headache, muscle aches, chills, exhaustion, and swollen lymph nodes, as well as body rashes.

Historic Number of LGBTQ People Are Running for Office According to new data from LGBTQ Victory Fund, the only national organization dedicated to electing LGBTQ leaders to public office, more LGBTQ candidates are running for office than in any other election in U.S. history, and they are significantly more diverse.

According to the report, at least 1,008 openly LGBTQ people are running for office so far, compared to 1,006 total candidates in 2020 and 716 total candidates in 2018. The greatest increase in LGBTQ representation is happening on the state level; 543 percent more LGBTQ people are running for statewide office than in 2020.

73 percent more are running for federal office, and 12 percent more are running for state legislatures.

There are almost over 100 more LGBTQ people of color running this year than

in 2020, a 58 percent increase overall.

There has been a greatest increase in Asian American and Pacific Islander LGBTQ candidates, 78 percent compared to 2020.

There was also a 66 percent increase in Black candidates and a 34 percent increase in Latinx and Hispanic candidates.

There are also more trans candidates running than ever before. 55 trans people are running this year, a 62 percent increase from 2020.

There are also 20 gender non-conforming candidates, a drastic increase from zero in 2020. Bisexual candidates are also continuing to increase with 103 this year, a 32 percent increase from 2018.

“The writing is on the wall for the LGBTQ community and our allies: our rights are on the ballot this year,” Mayor Annise Parker, the President and CEO of LGBTQ Victory Fund, said in a statement. “The people we elect this cycle will make decisions about what our kids are allowed to learn and say in the classroom, what health care choices people will be allowed to make about their own bodies and possibly, whether we will continue to be allowed to marry those we love. With more LGBTQ people running than ever before, this election also brings incredible opportunity to elect fiercely prochoice, pro-equality leaders up and down the ballot. The LGBTQ leaders we elect will not only be critical voices in halls of power across the country; their success will be a deafening rebuke to the wave of hate impacting our community.”

THEGEORGIAVOICE.COM

LOCAL NEWS

PHOTO VIA FACEBOOK

Music Midtown Canceled After New Gun Ruling Sukainah Abid-Kons Music Midtown, one of the largest music festivals in Georgia, has just been canceled for the second time in three years. The festival has drawn crowds of more than 300,000 attendees from multiple states and regularly features big-name musicians. But on August 1, just six weeks from the event, attendees were informed that the music festival will no longer be happening in 2022.

“Hey Midtown fans — due to circumstances beyond our control, Music Midtown will no longer be taking place this year,” read an official email sent to attendees from Front Gate Tickets (FGT), one of the organizers of the festival. “We were looking forward to reuniting in September and hope we can all get back to enjoying the festival together again soon.”

While festival officials have not officially stated why the festival was canceled, many speculate it is because of a court ruling regarding gun carrying rights in Georgia. The Carry Safe Protection act was signed into law in 2014, allowing citizens to bring firearms into public spaces while severely limiting the ability of companies or events to prohibit firearms on their premises. A ruling from the Georgia Supreme Court in 2019 created new rules

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for how private businesses utilizing public land could enforce gun bans. Businesses and groups that held certain types of long-term leases for state-owned land could legally bar guns, while businesses with shorter term leases — like Music Midtown — could not.

Since its founding in 1994, Music Midtown has prohibited attendees from bringing firearms to the festival. But, as it is held in Piedmont Park, festival security is legally barred from refusing entry to a patron based on their possession of a firearm.

George Chidi, an Atlanta-based journalist, was the first to report the likelihood that Music Midtown would be canceled on July 29, three days before the announcement came. According to Chidi, many performers require the condition of firearm bans in their concert riders.

The festival had a packed headline this year, including early 2000s favorites like My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy, as well as queer artists Phoebe Bridgers and 100 Gecs. Mitski, Conan Gray, and Future were also booked to perform.

Festival goers who had already purchased tickets were told to receive a refund in seven to 10 business days.

AUGUST 5, 2022 NEWS 7

NATIONAL NEWS

RESPECT FOR MARRIAGE BILL PUSHED TO SEPTEMBER Both bills also include language to makes it clear that a marriage validly obtained in one state shall be recognized by the federal government and by other states.

Lisa Keen Hope for a quick vote on the Respect for Marriage Act in the U.S. Senate this week has faded, but U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin said over the weekend that she has 10 Republican senators willing to vote for the measure and believes that vote could take place in September.

The U.S. House passed the Respect for Marriage Act on July 19, by a vote of 267 to 157, just one day after Rep. Jerrold Nadler introduced it. Even though only three Republicans voted for the Equality Act in the House last year, and only two Republicans voted for an LGBTQI+ Data Inclusion Act in June, 47 Republicans voted for the Respect for Marriage Act. Shannon Minter, legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, points to polling that shows 55 percent of Republicans support marriage equality. A poll in June indicated that 72 percent of registered voters opposed the idea of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning a decision that enabled same-sex couples to marry.

But popular support for legislation has not translated into bipartisan votes on other LGBTQ legislation. Nearly that same percentage in another poll said they would favor laws protecting LGBTQ people against discrimination in jobs, housing, and public accommodations, yet only 3 conservative Republicans voted for the Equality Act. Nor are all 47 in tight mid-term elections this year. Only 17 had single digit margins of victory in 2020. Of the 27 who were scored by the Human Rights Campaign’s rating of their votes on LGBTQ issues, 20 scored between zero and 11.

U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin told National Public Radio that she thinks same-sex marriage is more acceptable now because “it’s now part of most people’s everyday reality to know somebody who has married in order to provide legal protections for their family.” Until recently, she hoped the Senate

8 NEWS AUGUST 5, 2022

Neither bill says that all states must issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Charles Moran, president of the national Log Cabin Republican group, said he thinks the House bill got 47 Republican votes because “the GOP is calling the Democrats bluff on this issue and that’s why we saw 47 yes votes.”

U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin

PHOTO VIA FACEBOOK

would vote before August 8, when Congress takes its summer recess. And she has emphasized that the Respect for Marriage Act has become critical because of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision overturning Roe v. Wade has “implicated” other decisions based on similar grounds. Among those cases is Obergefell v. Hodges, the 2015 opinion striking down state bans on marriage licenses for same-sex couples.

Baldwin, the U.S. Senate’s first openly LGBTQ senator, is leading the charge to get the Senate to vote on the Respect for Marriage bill. With the Senate split 50-50 between Democratic votes and Republican votes, she needs all 50 Democrats and at least 10 Republicans to agree to break the inevitable Republican filibuster that would ensue with any attempt to bring the Respect for Marriage to the floor.

Baldwin told a Wisconsin media outlet July 29 that she has five Republicans publicly committed: Senators Susan Collins (of Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Rob Portman (Ohio), Thom Tillis (North Carolina), and Ron Johnson (Wisconsin).

“Five additional members have indicated they are leaning in support,” said Baldwin, “but I think because of how crowded the [Senate] calendar is for next week, which is our last

week before the August recess, and in light of the fact that we can’t have any absences — we need everybody there, and we have a few members with COVID — this is probably going to be a vote that occurs, what I would hope would be early September.”

Meanwhile, it’s not clear that some recalcitrant Democrats — like Joe Manchin of West Virginia — are on board. Senator Collins told The Hill newspaper that Manchin’s recent agreements to go along with Democratic bills on climate change might cause the Respect for Marriage bill to lose Republican votes.

But openly bisexual Senator Kyrsten Sinema is supporting the bill.

What Respect for Marriage Act says Baldwin introduced the Respect for Marriage Act (S. 29) in the Senate on July 18, along with U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine).

The House bill, H.R. 8404, was introduced the same day and is slightly longer. Both bills have language to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a federal law that barred federal recognition of same-sex marriages. That law was ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2013 via U.S. v. Windsor.

“The antics of [House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi and Nadler, in dropping this bill with less than 24 hours notice before a full floor vote, no committee hearings, etc. rankled a lot of GOP members … and some voted no as a protest to that style of governance...not because of their opposition to gay marriage,” said Moran. I believe that if I had an additional 24 hours to whip votes, we could have gotten 70+ yes votes. If I had 48 hours?

Probably 100 yes votes.’

But Moran said he also thinks the 47 Republican votes are a reflection of the huge differences between the Equality Act and the Respect for Marriage Act. “The Respect for Marriage Act was a clean bill. The Equality Act is messy, [and] tramples over a lot of things like religious freedom that GOP’ers won’t go along with,” said Moran.

Some ultra conservatives affiliated with religious groups say they believe the Respect for Marriage bill is an attack on them. In a July 26 letter to Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, representatives of Alliance Defending Freedom and 79 other anti-LGBT and conservative religious groups write that the Respect for Marriage bill is an attempt to silence people who believe marriage can be only one man and one woman. The bill, the letter states, “does much to endanger people of faith,” and anyone who supports the bill, it states, is “aiding and abetting the persecution of people of faith.”

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FALL ARTS PREVIEW

Jay Americana: GENRE-BENDING, JOYFUL, AND QUEER

and entering a new phase in life, which is extremely fitting for the context of this album.

They described it as a bit of a diversion from earlier projects. It will be less somber and more of a “positive vibration” dance record with influences from house, garage, and drum and bass. Revisiting these genres as a queer person felt like going home to Americana.

Divine Ikpe Jay Americana (he/they) is an Atlanta-based rapper and recording artist originally from Valdosta. He started writing song lyrics when he was 13 years old, but didn’t begin to take it more seriously until high school, with the release of his first project at 19 years old. Topically, their music recounts hyperstylized personal events that have happened in their life. Some influences that you may be able to hear in their music are Stevie Wonder, Missy Elliot and Radiohead, along with fellow Black queer artists like Frank Ocean, Kevin Abstract and Lil Nas X.

This shift can be compared to the shift from FKA Twigs’ album, “Magdalene,” a manifestation of her breakup, to “Caprisongs,” which serves as a rebirth of Twigs’ confidence and overall happiness. Americana said Caprisongs was one of his inspirations for his upcoming album due to both the content and the tonal change in Twigs’ music.

“If you had told me years ago that I would be able to hear these songs [from queer artists like Kevin Abstract and Lil Nas X] on the radio, I wouldn’t believe you,” Americana told Georgia Voice. “The fact that people across generations can connect with [Lil Nas X,] this gay Black boy from Atlanta … is very inspiring.”

Americana’s older music could be described as somber, pensive, and dramatic, but their music as a whole is “genre bending pop, rap, indie, dance, whatever I feel like.” Basically, if their music were a meal, they said it would be a fusion dish like a Korean street taco, something that wouldn’t make sense on paper, but with the right execution, blends different kinds of flavors seamlessly. For Americana, music serves as a different language to communicate to people with —hence, why the feelings of connection and relatability are what he wants to portray through his music.

“As a queer person who grew up in south Georgia, I’m very used to being an outsider of sorts, so I kind of take that approach to my music as well,” they said. “It doesn’t fit

10 FALL ARTS PREVIEW AUGUST 5, 2022

Americana dealt with emotional issues in their past that forced them to take a step back from making music, but after going to therapy, he found emotional liberation and decided that constant suffering wasn’t necessary to make great art. This shift in philosophy is sure to be reflected in his upcoming record, where he will show us how displays of joy can be just as impactful as displays of despair.

Jay Americana

PHOTO BY DIVINE IKPE

neatly into any kind of normative box and I relate to that personally. I think being able to embrace that weirdness, or that queerness, in music is so important. And I think, especially now, it’s a lot easier as a queer artist to be openly expressive and not have to hide behind gender neutral language or anything like that. Because the people who are gonna connect with it, are gonna connect with it.”

Americana approaches each project as if it’s its own self-contained cinematic universe. Filmmakers such as Jordan Peele,

Dario Argento and Wes Craven inspire the gaudy, extravagant, campy horror vibe that Americana likes the visuals for their music to exemplify. Some frequent collaborators — what he calls the “Justice League” of his music — are Bickle (@heybickle), Connor Jones (@probablyconnorjones) at Pendulum Studios, and Ezra (@epnds).

They have been working on a new album titled “555” (the time they were born) and plan to release it on their birthday, Halloween. As an angel number, 555 signifies moving forward

To other queer artists looking to make music, Americana says to just go for it.

“Get together with your friends and make a couple songs,” he said. “They might suck at first, but you’re gonna get there. And most importantly, stay true to yourself. Don’t feel like you have to catch up with anyone else … remember, they’re looking at you for inspiration, not the other way around.”

Jay Americana’s music is available on all popular streaming platforms. Follow them on Instagram @jay.americana.

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presents

September 16–18, 2022

Three ballets celebrating the neoclassical style made popular by George Balanchine.

Featuring Serenade by Balanchine, Sum Stravinsky

by Kiyon Ross, and In Creases by Justin Peck.

For tickets go to atlantaballet.com or call at 800-982-2787 Groups of 10+, email groupsales@atlantaballet.com Rachel Van Buskirk, Anne Harshbarger and Nadia Mara in Balanchine’s Serenade. Photo by Charlie McCullers.

Supported by

FALL ARTS PREVIEW

‘I Dreamed a Dreamgirl’ IS A JOYFUL CELEBRATION OF SHOW TUNES AND SHOWBIZ Katie Burkholder “I Dreamed a Dreamgirl,” a musical extravaganza by self-proclaimed “semiprofessional homosexual” Emerson Collins and “recovering child co-star of the ’90s” Blake McIver, is now touring the Southeast with a stop in Atlanta on August 6.

The show celebrates the couple, who both have extensive careers in showbiz, by literally combining their two unique styles and personalities into a collection of medleys, duets, stories, and joy. The idea for the show was born of a joke the two made almost nine years ago.

“We joked about, if we ever did a show together, our voices and style choices are so different, what could we possibly do together?” McIver told Georgia Voice. “This title actually started as a joke. My favorite show is ‘Dreamgirls,’ and his favorite show is ‘Les Mis.’” Thus, “I Dreamed a Dreamgirl” was born.

As the name suggests, the show consists of medleys composed by Collins and McIver that combine their styles and poke fun at their differences. In the 90-minute running time, they perform all or part of 49 different songs, from show tunes to standards.

“There’s a little bit of everything,” McIver said. “It does represent the overlaps and discrepancies in our tastes and styles.”

The show pays homage to the couple’s respective careers; there’s a Rent medley in honor of Collins’ stint in Rent Live, a reference to “The Little Rascals” (McIver played Waldo in the1994 film), and a 16-

12 FALL ARTS PREVIEW AUGUST 5, 2022

“When we put the show together, we said we only want to do things we genuinely find fun. If no one comes, if we’re on stage by ourselves for 90 minutes, will we enjoy every moment of this? Anything we ‘should’ do but doesn’t sound fun, we’re not doing. So, we found fun ways into the career things, and then the rest of it is like, this is hilarious to us, so we hope you enjoy it.”

— Emerson Collins song TV theme song medley, referencing the couple’s experience on Bravo’s “The People’s Couch,” the first project they worked on together.

It’s also an earnest look at the men behind the glitz and glam veil of show biz.

“We wanted to let each of us be who we are, having fun together and wanting you to enjoy it with us,” Collins said. “It’s a lot of singing, but we’re not presenting something at you.

We’re not trying to get you somewhere.

We’re just trying to share with you.”

“It’s honest, there’s no artifice or pretense

From left: Blake McIver and Emerson Collins

COURTESY PHOTO

in this show,” McIver added. “There’s always a certain amount put on in shows to manipulate the narrative and whatnot.

We do none of that in this; it is legitimately us telling you our unvarnished stories and singing about them.”

More than anything, though, it’s going to be fun.

“When we put the show together, we said we only want to do things we genuinely find fun,” Collins said. “If no one comes, if we’re on stage by ourselves for 90 minutes, will we enjoy every moment of this? Anything we

‘should’ do but doesn’t sound fun, we’re not doing. So, we found fun ways into the career things, and then the rest of it is like, this is hilarious to us, so we hope you enjoy it.”

“I Dreamed a Dreamgirl” is showing at Out Front Theatre Company Saturday, August 6 at 8pm before traveling to Savannah’s Club One on August 10, the Winston-Salem Theatre Alliance in North Carolina on August 13, Biloxi Little Theatre in Mississippi on September 17, and AllWays Lounge in New Orleans on September 18. For tickets, visit emersoncollins.com/tour.

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FALL ARTS PREVIEW

New Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Program Embraces Sexually Diverse Music Community November 19, Kazem Abdullah leading Beethoven and Ives on January 15, and A Sea Symphony on April 29.

Sukainah Abid-Kons When Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) founded their IN UNISON program in 2020, it was to unite people in one universal love: classical music. In an effort to both recognize and celebrate the diversity of musicians, conductors, and avid symphony fans alike, ASO started a program to highlight conductors and musicians who are part of the LGBTQ+ community.

This intentional step toward inclusion, and a celebration of what makes us all unique, is progress for the classical music world. For centuries, this profession has been reserved predominantly for white men, many of whom were either straight or presented themselves as such. Marginalized groups such as queer people, women, and people of color were often excluded from this musical community.

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

PHOTO VIA FACEBOOK

This program is part of an effort to make the classical music community accessible and welcoming to all individuals.

IN UNISON was announced in early 2020, and though many live music experiences were halted shortly afterwards, the program is still part of the symphony’s lineup in 2022.

“We are pleased to announce a new group for LGBTQ & Friends to socialize

and experience the artistic mastery of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra!” read an announcement statement on ASO’s Facebook page.

The IN UNISON events feature LGBTQ+ conductors, musicians, vocalists, composers, and presenters. The upcoming lineup includes Nathalie Stutzmann conducting Lush Romantics on October 14, Inon Barnatan playing Rachmaninov on

ASO has a membership program for patrons who want to attend these events.

The program functions similarly to a seasonal pass; symphony goers can purchase their IN UNISON membership, which gives them tickets to four IN UNISON networking events with included food and drinks happening before the IN UNISON shows. Membership holders will also receive discounts on other tickets, pre-sale access, four complimentary tickets to select Delta Classical Series concerts, and complimentary access to the 2022/23 Behind the Curtain virtual concert series.

If you are interested in an IN UNISON membership, they can be purchased at aso. org under the “IN UNISON” tab.

LAMBDA LEGAL IN

ATLANTA

JOIN US AS WE CELEBRATE

25 YEARS IN THE SOUTH Lambda Legal opened its Southern Regional Office in Atlanta in 1997 as southern states continued to

WHEN Sunday, September 18, 2022 11:00 AM EST

TICKETS www.lambdalegal.org/atlanta

fiercely resist a growing nationwide acceptance of justice

and

equality

for

LGBTQ

people

and

everyone living with HIV. Join Lambda Legal's Atlanta Leadership Council and Host Committee members to honor 25 years

WHERE InterContinental Buckhead Windsor Ballroom 3315 Peachtree Rd. NE, Atlanta, GA

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of legal advocacy to advance the rights for LGBTQ people and everyone living with HIV in the South.

HONORING

JOAN GARNER

JANE MORRISON AUGUST 5, 2022 FALL ARTS PREVIEW 13

FALL ARTS PREVIEW

Fall Arts Lineup NATASHA, PIERRE, AND THE GREAT COMET OF 1812

Katie Burkholder

SEPTEMBER 30 – NOVEMBER 6 HORIZON THEATRE Based on a 70-page slice of War and Peace, this Tony Award-winning musical is Tolstoy like you’ve never experienced him before. Step into a glamourous, romantic world of chandeliers, vodka, and caviar in the salons and opera houses of 19th century Moscow, where passions ignite as Napoleon’s war rages outside the city.

Tickets at horizontheatre.com.

As the weather is getting cooler, the Atlanta arts scene is heating up! Check out what’s going on in the world of music, theatre, and visual art this season.

YES MA’AM

AUGUST 21 THE BAKERY ATLANTA This exhibition will feature 50+ artists, a live DJ, raffle prizes, and more! 100 percent of the funds raised will be donated to Amplify Georgia, a collaborative of seven local reproductive health, rights, and justice organizations. RSVP at thebakeryatlanta.com.

@QUEERZ

EVERYBODY

SEPTEMBER 2 – OCTOBER 2 ALLIANCE THEATRE COCA-COLA STAGE Everybody is a happy person, a free person, a person who believes that nothing but the best lies ahead. When Death comes calling, Everybody must go on a journey to find what has had a lasting significance in his lifetime.

Tickets at alliancetheatre.org.

FLEX

SEPTEMBER 7 – OCTOBER 2 THEATRICAL OUTFIT It’s 1997 and the WNBA is changing the game. Every player on Plainnole’s Lady Train basketball team now dreams of going pro, but first they have to navigate the pressures of being young, Black and female in rural Arkansas. Tickets at theatricaloutfit.org.

ANYTHING GOES

SEPTEMBER 9-25 CITY SPRINGS THEATRE COMPANY Music, dance, laughter, and romance collide in this hilarious shipboard romp. When evangelist turned nightclub singer Reno Sweeney sets sail on the S.S. American, she encounters old friends and an unexpected love interest in the form of a wealthy Englishman. Tickets at cityspringstheatre.com.

14 FALL ARTS PREVIEW AUGUST 5, 2022

Brandi Carlile PUBLICITY PHOTO PRETTY WOMAN THE MUSICAL

SEPTEMBER 13-18 FOX THEATRE Based on one of Hollywood’s most beloved romantic films of all time, Pretty Woman the Musical springs to life with a powerhouse creative team led by two-time Tony Awardwinning director and choreographer Jerry Mitchell (Hairspray, Kinky Boots, Legally Blonde). Tickets at foxtheatre.org.

BALANCHINE INSPIRED

SEPTEMBER 16-18 ATLANTA BALLET This show is a celebration of the neoclassical style, popularized by Balanchine, and its influence on today’s choreographers. Featured works include Serenade, Sum Stravinsky, and In Creases. Tickets at atlantaballet.com.

STEPHEN BURKS: SHELTER IN PLACE

SEPTEMBER 16 – MARCH 5 HIGH MUSEUM

This temporary exhibit explores ideas surrounding domesticity — namely asking how we can design our interiors to enable joyful living while empowering creativity.

Tickets at high.org.

BRANDI CARLILE: BEYOND THESE SILENT DAYS TOUR

SEPTEMBER 22 FOX THEATRE Six-time Grammy award-winning LGBTQ country singer/songwriter Brandi Carlile brings her nationwide tour to the Fox Theatre with special guest the Amy Ray Band. Tickets at foxtheatre.org.

SUNSET BABY

SEPTEMBER 24 – OCTOBER 16 ACTOR’S EXPRESS When Black Liberation activist Kenyatta Shakur comes back to the world after prison, he finds himself widowed and alone. In a familial tug-of-war, he and his daughter must find a way to confront their shared history. Tickets at actors-express.com.

OCTOBER TBD TBD Postponed from July, @QueerZ is a show by the Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus composed of a series of songs that explore issues and themes that resonate with the LGBTQ members of Generation Z. Tickets at voicesofnote.org.

BEN PLATT: THE REVERIE TOUR

OCTOBER 4 FOX THEATRE LGBTQ actor, singer, and songwriter Ben Platt tours his newest album with special guests Aly and AJ. Tickets at foxtheatre.org.

DEANA LAWSON

OCTOBER 7 – FEBRUARY 19 HIGH MUSEUM Working primarily in photography, Lawson investigates and challenges conventional representations of Black identities and bodies. Tickets at high.org.

NATHALIE STUTZMANN CONDUCTS LUSH ROMANTICS

OCTOBER 14-15 ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Experience the velvety rich sound of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra as Music Director Nathalie CONTINUES ON PAGE 15

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FALL ARTS PREVIEW COLONIALISM IS TERRIBLE, BUT PHO IS DELICIOUS

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14 Stutzmann presents a lineup of lush Romantics, starting with Brahms’ stormy Symphony No. 3.

Tickets at aso.org.

PATTI LABELLE

OCTOBER 14 FOX THEATRE Actress, singer, and the queen of rock and soul music Patti LaBelle comes to the Fox with special guest Stephanie Mills. Tickets at foxtheatre.org.

IN THE HEIGHTS

OCTOBER 21 – NOVEMBER 6 CITY SPRINGS THEATRE COMPANY From Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of Hamilton, comes this universal story of a vibrant community in New York’s Washington Heights neighborhood – a place where the windows are always open, and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music. Tickets at cityspringstheatre.com.

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Patti LaBelle

PUBLICITY PHOTO

BEABADOOBEE

OCTOBER 31 VARIETY PLAYHOUSE Alt pop star beabadoobee just released her critically acclaimed album Beatopia and will be bringing her North American tour to Atlanta with special guest Lowertown.

Tickets at beabadoobee.com.

STARTS NOVEMBER 4 AURORA THEATRE This biting comedy spans centuries, continents, and cultures in a three-part vignette structure: 1880s Hanoi, where a Vietnamese cook finds herself in the kitchen of aristocratic French settlers; 1999 Saigon, where American diners get their first taste of local cuisine; and presentday Brooklyn, where the simmering argument around culture, ownership, and authenticity comes to a roaring boil.

Tickets at auroratheatre.org.

JONATHAN VAN NESS: IMAGINARY LIVING ROOM OLYMPIAN

NOVEMBER 4 FOX THEATRE In this show, Queer Eye’s Jonathan Van Ness dives into their comedic prowess and tells the story of everything: the good, the

bad, and the sexy. This stand-up comedy extravaganza is a high-octane night of comedy, community, and sissying that walk.

Tickets at foxtheatre.org.

MADAMA BUTTERFLY

NOVEMBER 5-13 ATLANTA OPERA Cultures collide when an American naval officer in Nagasaki decides to take a Japanese wife. Cio-Cio-San – fifteen years old and in love – dreams of her new life with the handsome young officer. Tickets at atlantaopera.org.

ONE NIGHT OF QUEEN

NOVEMBER 18 ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Gary Mullen and The Works celebrate the 20th anniversary of their world-renowned One Nigh of Queen live concert performance that pays tribute to the stage theatrics, showmanship, and music of the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers. Tickets at aso.org.

AUGUST 5, 2022 FALL ARTS PREVIEW 15

FALL ARTS PREVIEW

GET YOUR BINGE ON

This Fall

Katie Burkholder

As the weather gets chilly, there’s nothing better than curling up on the couch and binging a new series. From LGBTQ stories to highly anticipated franchise developments, there’s something for everyone to enjoy this fall.

LOOT

Streaming now on Apple TV+ After divorcing her husband of 20 years, benevolent but clueless billionaire Molly Novak (played by Maya Rudolph) decides to use her $87 billion settlement to reengage with her charitable foundation and reconnect with the real world. The cast includes ample LGBTQ representation with MJ Rodriguez playing Sofia, the executive director of Molly’s non-profit, and Joel Kim Booster playing Nicholas, Molly assistant-slash-best friend. New episodes every Friday.

ROAD TO THE RUNWAY

Streaming now on Here TV This new docuseries examines the roles that gender, race, socio-economic status, and familial approval play in the lives of young, beautiful women charting their course toward fashion’s latest frontier: the transgender supermodel. The series profiles the twenty hopefuls competing in this year’s annual Slay Model search. “Road to the Runway” is an important reminder that these trans models are more than mannequins: they are daughters, friends, and partners in love, with stories that deserve to be heard.

TRIXIE MOTEL

Streaming now on Discovery+ “RuPaul’s Drag Race” legend Trixie Mattel is expanding her empire with this brandnew project. Watch as Trixie, her boyfriend

16 FALL ARTS PREVIEW AUGUST 5, 2022

and motel co-owner David, and a slew of LGBTQ celebrity guests transform a rundown Palm Springs motel into a pink, retro-kitsch paradise. Guests include Katya, Leslie Jordan, Gigi Gorgeous, Jonathan Bennett, Orville Peck, and more.

A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN

Premiering August 12 on Amazon Prime This comedy series about the WWII All American professional women’s baseball league is a reimagination of the 1992 sapphic cult classic. The show stars queer actress Abbi Jacobson, D’Arcy Carden, Chante Adams, Roberta Colindrez, Gbemisola Ikumel, Kelly McCormack, and Priscilla Delgado. While Jacobson told The Hollywood Reporter that fans can expect a “couple nods” to the film, it will be a “different portrayal” of the story.

NEVER HAVE I EVER

Streaming August 12 on Netflix Mindy Kaling’s charming teen comedy returns for a season three. The first two seasons explored the nuanced realities of coming out and navigating queer relationships through Fabiola, and those themes are sure to be explored further in the upcoming season.

HOUSE OF THE DRAGON

Streaming August 21 on HBO Max Fans of “Game of Thrones” can rejoice! This prequel, set 200 years before the events of “Game of Throne,” chronicles the Targaryen’s rule of Westeros from its beginning.

ANDOR

Streaming August 30 on Disney+ The latest in the Star Wars franchise, “Andor” details the exploits of Cassian Andor, played

by Diego Luna, during the first five years of the rebellion against the Empire.

‘Trixie Motel’ stars ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ legend Trixie Mattel.

GUTSY

Streaming September 9 on Apple TV+ In this intimate docuseries, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton interview trailblazing women like Kim Kardashian, Jane Goodall, and Megan Thee Stallion about what it takes to be successful in the modern world.

THE HANDMAID’S TALE

Streaming September 14 on Hulu Given current events, Hulu’s adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel is even more frightening. Season five kicks off with June (played by Elizabeth Moss) on the run, having killed Commander Waterford but determined to see through the revolution she started.

ABBOTT ELEMENTARY

Premiering September 21 on ABC and Hulu Quinta Brunson’s beloved sitcom following

PUBLICITY PHOTO

the antics of teachers at an underfunded Philly public school returns for its second season! New episodes hit Hulu the day after they air.

THE MIDNIGHT CLUB

Streaming October 7 on Netflix The latest from “Midnight Mass” and “The Haunting” creator Mike Flanagan is this adaptation of Christopher Pike’s thriller book series where a group of terminally ill patients at a hospice clinic meet to share scary stories.

PITCH PERFECT: BUMPER IN BERLIN

Streaming November 23 on Peacock The Pitch Perfect franchise is far from over!

This spinoff series follows the Barden Bellas’ rival Bumper (played by Adam Devine) as he moves to Berlin to pursue a career in Europop.

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GET YOUR TICKETS NOW

for Alliance Theatre’s 2022/23 SEASON

SEP 2–OCT 2 From the award-winning playwright of “An Octoroon” comes an irreverent and uproarious story of Man’s journey into the afterlife.

PRESENTED BY

NOV 12–DEC 24

By BRANDEN JACOBS-JENKINS Co-Directed by SUSAN V. BOOTH & TINASHE KAJESE-BOLDEN

One of Atlanta’s most treasured holiday traditions.

By CHARLES DICKENS Adapted by DAVID H. BELL Directed by LEORA MORRIS

FEB 10–MAR 5

MAR 1–26

Winner of the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Drama

Winner of the Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition

2023

DEC 7–23 Spend an evening with Adam L. McKnight as he opens his heart and soul on a musical journey with uplifting original songs and holiday classics.

From the creator of P-Valley comes a fierce new comedy about the risks and rewards of celebrating who you are.

Written & Directed

by KATORI HALL

2023

Jasmine decides to build a time-machine with her uncle in order to change the past so that maybe... her present can be different.

By STEPHEN BROWN Directed by TINASHE KAJESE-BOLDEN

APR 1–16

2023

World Premiere Musical This play, inspired by the early life and influences of musical icon Jimi Hendrix, encourages us to dream big when it matters most.

Book by IDRIS GOODWIN Music by EUGENE H. RUSSELL IV & DIVINITY ROXX Directed by TIM BOND

SUMMER

2023

World Premiere // Musical Romance, deception, and magic beneath the big top of a traveling circus.

Book by RICK ELICE Music and Lyrics by PIGPEN THEATRE CO. Based on the Novel by SARA GRUEN Directed by JESSICA STONE

Tickets and memberships available at alliancetheatre.org 1280 PEACHTREE ST NE // ATLANTA, GA 30309

SHIFTING THE NARRATIVE EMMA O’LOUGHLIN

‘Company’ on Broadway PHOTO VIA FACEBOOK

SHIFTING THE NARRATIVE: ACCESSIBILITY TO QUEER ART Emma O’Loughlin The theater industry has been and still is majority dominated and run by cisgender, heterosexual white men. I saw the recent production of “Company” on Broadway, and I thought it was a stunning revival of one of Sondheim’s greatest shows. The original plot of “Company” follows BobbCompany y, a single man living in New York City. His friends are all married or engaged, and the show follows his relationship to marriage in a series of small vignettes with friends and lovers, linked together by his 35th birthday party.

The director, Marianne Elliott, chose to deviate from traditional gender/sexuality casting of the characters of Bobby and Jamie. To cast “Bobbie” as a female identifying person as opposed to the traditional male casting adds additional layers to the story when Bobbie is asked why she isn’t yet married with kids.

18 COLUMNIST AUGUST 5, 2022

The casting of Matt Doyle in the role of Jamie is significant, because it provides queer representation both on and offstage.

Jamie is typically cast as a cisgender, heterosexual woman getting married to the character of Paul, but this iteration of the character is a gay man.

While Doyle’s rendition of “Not Getting Married Today” is entertaining and heartbreaking all at once, I couldn’t help but think about the literal price to see queer representation on Broadway.

Inexpensive tickets to this show were hard to come by. This is in part due to the brilliance of Elliott’s directing, the presence and unforgettable performance of Patti LuPone (when I saw the show, her rendition of “Ladies Who Lunch” earned her a two-minute standing ovation), as well as the five Tony wins that the revival brought home this past season. This brings me to the discussion of the accessibility of theater and queer art.

In order for theater to be more inclusive, we must be willing to discuss the accessibility of art. This starts with the redistribution of wealth into our education, specifically art education.

Bringing art into every community, especially underfunded communities, is crucial if we are to be inclusive in theater. Accessibility within the theater industry is more than just the funding of the arts and arts education. Ticket prices and location are a huge factor that I believe is often overlooked when discussing accessibility to live art performances.

When “Hamilton” was released on Disney+ in July of 2020, I was astounded by how many people outside the theater industry were watching the show. Imagine the audience that could have been reached had “Company” been filmed professionally and released for public consumption. Filming and releasing shows on major streaming platforms allows so many people to see shows that might not have had the ability before, due to ticket and travel prices. For those who can’t travel to New York

City to see a show, seeing the tour is the next best thing. But what happens if you don’t live in an area where tours are coming through?

And even then, ticket prices for tours are increasing as well.

The wealth gap is still a major factor when it comes to the ability to see shows, as well as the ability of performers to receive training and then go on to audition for them.

Unfortunately, the cost of auditioning, equipment, studio rentals, and travel expenses can all be major roadblocks when it comes to making this industry accessible for all who want to be a part of it. I don’t know what the overall solution is, but I know it’s a discussion worth having, because representation is always worth fighting for.

Raised in the queer community, Emma O’Loughlin is a performing artist and recent graduate of Boston Conservatory at Berklee, where she received a degree in musical theater.

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REELING IN THE YEARS MARÍA HELENA DOLAN

He Has Gone Where No One Has Gone Before: George Takei (April 20, 1937–) María Helena Dolan No one could have predicted the lives (and yes, I mean lives — this man has crammed more into one life than a horde of others could) the interplanetarily renowned actor, author and activist George Takei would lead when he was born in Los Angeles in 1937. His parents had emigrated from Japan and met and married here, becoming U.S. citizens. George and his two siblings were born in California, automatically making them American citizens.

His family was on track to becoming middle class when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, derailing everything.

Immediately, the Department of the Treasury froze the assets of all citizens and resident immigrants born in Japan, while the Department of Justice arrested 1,500 religious and community leaders who could “potentially” be dangerous.

Vigilante attacks against Asians began, with acts including throwing paint and smashing windows to assaults and arson. George’s family was among the victimized. Spontaneous demonstrations and larger, more organized ones began. “Lock them up” was among the least atavistic and more publishable chants.

In fact, “locking up” became a national rallying cry. President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942.

There is no mention of camps, concentrations, or ethnicity.

Yet in less than two months, the U.S. Army separated 120,000 people, either Japanese or

20 COLUMNIST AUGUST 5, 2022

of Japanese descent, from their homes and property, no matter their citizenship status, and shipped them to one of 10 “relocation centers.”

George Takei was four years old when his family was taken. He has written They Called Us Enemy, a graphic novel about his life that begins with those early years in the camps and goes through his myriad adventures over eight decades.

Drawn toward acting from boyhood, George began his career in 1956 by dubbing the dialogue of Japanese characters into English for the U.S. release of Japanese science fiction movies. He did Rodan and Godzilla Raids Again. Eventually his film roles led to From Here to Eternity and Walk Don’t Run. After plays, films and a summer at Stratfordupon-Avon, George landed the role of Lieutenant Sulu, the helmsman aboard the original Star Trek TV series (1966–69). This made him the first Asian American to star in an ensemble television series. Springboarding from there, his TV and film work became legendary, including over half a dozen Star Trek movies.

George also spent a lot of time and energy on nonprofit causes, including actively working on plans for the Los Angeles subway as a member of the board of directors for the Southern California Rapid Transit District.

In 1991, George finally received an official letter of apology and a check for $20,000 for all the pain and suffering he and his family endured at the hands of the United States.

He used the check as seed money for the Japanese American National Museum.

But famous actors of his generation didn’t

George Takei PHOTO VIA FACEBOOK come out. George has said that “Arnold Schwarzenegger made me come out [when Arnold ran for Governor]. He said, ‘I’m from Hollywood, I’ve worked with gays and lesbians, some of my best friends are gay.’ I assumed, therefore, he was pro-gay.”

Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.

“But when the Marriage Equality Bill landed on his desk [in 2005], he played to the reactionary conservative element of the Republican party and vetoed it,” he said.

“Both [my husband] Brad and I were raging, our blood was boiling.”

And George even has his very own asteroid!

Located between Mars and Jupiter, 7307 Takei was discovered by two Japanese astronauts in 1994. It was renamed in his honor in 2007.

For his work advancing U.S.-Japan relations, Emperor Akihito awarded George the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette in 2004.

George worked against Proposition 8, California’s ban on same sex marriage.

Only a very few Trek alumni have been so honored, including Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura) and Gene Roddenberry, Star Trek’s creator.

He still works with the Human Rights Campaign’s “Coming Out Project” and for immigrants who are summarily turned away. He shares his story across the world, has a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, and left his signature and handprint at

His latest project? George provides a voice-over for the almost all-Asian cast of the upcoming animated HBO Max series Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai. This is a prequel to the dark comedy cult classic, Gremlins and its sequel, Gremlins 2: The New Batch.

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AUGUST 5, 2022 ADS 21

LIVING SKILLS MICHAEL DUBIN

HAVE SOME DIGNITY! PHOTO BY PEXELS.COM / HASSAN OUAJBIR

Michael Dubin, M.A., Counselor at Living Skills Dignity is valuing ourselves for who we are, what we believe in, and how we live your life. It also means treating others the way we’d like to be treated ourselves, a la the Golden Rule.

Valuing ourselves begins with self-awareness: knowing our needs, desires, hopes, dreams, goals, beliefs, the choices we make and why.

While the hopes, dreams, needs, wants, of others are more than likely very different than our own, that doesn’t mean they’re any less valuable. When you deny or dismiss the value those things, you strip away their dignity.

Beyond self-awareness, self-value also requires self-confidence and self-love. Selfconfidence is believing that you have the capacity to cope with whatever life throws at you — both good and bad. We all have different coping mechanisms, and we are all impacted by life in our own unique way.

22 COLUMNIST AUGUST 5, 2022

What may be devastating to one of us might just roll off the back of others. Therefore, to respect others’ dignity, you should not undermine peoples’ coping mechanisms by insisting that they see things or react or deal with things in the way you would or think they should.

Self-love is also part of self-value. When we learn to love ourselves, we are more likely to recognize our own value and, thus, the value of others.

When we deny the needs, wants, desires, hopes, dreams, goals, beliefs, choices, self-respect, self-love and self-confidence in others, we are stripping them of dignity. That is not okay.

When we disparage, disregard, or harshly judge the character and integrity of people we know nothing about, we are blinding ourselves to their dignity. We cannot make any kind of value judgment about the character and integrity of anyone based on their appearance or gossip we have heard about them, much less based on some assumption that we have made about them.

When we treat others from a place wherein we are not living by our own character and integrity or when we make negative assumptions about anyone’s character or integrity, we turn our backs on dignity.

We all have a storehouse of memories that shape and mold us — our perceptions, our perspectives, our ways of coming at the world and our ways of being in the world. And, over time, we let go of some memories and replace them with newer and more important memories – both good and bad. And we all have a set of stories that we tell ourselves about the ways the world works and about how life works and about how we have to approach life and the people in it. Those myths that we live by are informed by the memories we hold, the experiences we have, as well as the beliefs we have come to trust. This is why, as the old wise saying goes, “You can’t understand someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.” You have no idea of the memories and personal myths that have come to form them as they are because those experiences and memories and strategies of getting through life are so personal and so singular to each and every one of us.

When you encounter someone who doesn’t think like you, look like you, dress like you, worship like you, eat the same things you do, like the same music or movies that you do, remember it is their personal value made up of self-awareness, self-love, selfconfidence, and self-respect, and they have the freedom to be and become whomever they want. As we said above, dignity is about treating others the way we’d like to be treated ourselves, and nobody likes being judged unfairly or deemed less than others.

There are a lot of problems in the world right now and to begin to fix them, we are going to need all hands on deck. And in order for us to do that we are going to need to begin respecting and honoring one another’s inherent dignity.

Living Skills offers positive psychology counseling, spiritual counseling and life coaching services in Atlanta for the LGBTQ community. Sessions available by Skype. Please email us at livingskillsinc@ gmail.com or visit www.livingskills.pro.

Podcasts now available.

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AUGUST 5, 2022 ADS 23

ACTING OUT JIM FARMER

‘MY OLD SCHOOL’ STARS ALAN CUMMING IN UNUSUAL ROLE, QUEER THRILLER ‘HYPOCHONDRIAC’ WORKS BETTER AS A GAY LOVE STORY Jim Farmer Alan Cumming has played all sorts of characters in his long career, but his role in the new film, “My Old School,” was a particular challenge. The gay actor stars as Brandon Lee, who made a lot of noise in Scotland back in the mid 1990s.

Lee enrolled at a secondary school in Glasgow in 1993 and a few years later a secret about his true identity came out: he wasn’t a teenager, but a 30-year-old man. The story made headlines around the world at the time.

“It was a huge story,” Cumming, who is Scottish, said. “It’s still major.”

Director Jono McLeod was in school at the time and was a classmate of Brandon’s. Like the rest of the school, he eventually found out the truth about his fellow student.

“When you are a teenager, you are so focused on other things,” he recalls. “I remember getting phone calls to tell me. We all heard a little while before the newspapers; word went around the kids. I remember a friend phoning me and telling me [the whole story].

Basically, it wasn’t until all the press that we realized it was bigger than we anticipated.”

Cumming was originally slated to direct an earlier film about Lee, but it fell through.

“In 1997, I was asked to direct it and not be in it,” he said. “In 1999, it all fell apart. It’s a funny thing that a quarter of a century later it all came back to me. Jobs fall apart all the time — you have to be sanguine about it. I am so lucky to embody [Brandon] in this form, in a way that I think is much better. This is much more about the people who experienced it and I think it’s more entertaining because of that.”

For McLeod, Cumming was the only actor

Alan Cumming stars in ‘My Old School.’

PUBLICITY PHOTOS

he envisioned for the project.

“We were always aware that Alan was meant to be Brandon back in the 1990s,” he said.

“We grew up with this expectation that this movie was going to appear. When it didn’t happen, it felt like one of the great unmade Scottish movies. We always wondered why no one had made this.”

The only person who had been telling the story over the years was Brandon himself, according to McLeod. The ones who had not spoken were his classmates and teachers.

“What I wanted to do was assemble as many of those together and try to figure out what went on,” McLeod said.

The real Lee was instrumental in telling his story to the filmmaker and narrating it.

There was one catch, though — he did not want to appear in the film. Cumming lipsynched to the real-life figure’s words.

Cumming said the role is unlike anything he had ever done.

‘Hypochondriac’

24 COLUMNIST AUGUST 5, 2022

“I listened to the tapes Jono had given me and I let it seep in,” he said. “I was making up this character, but it was already dictated the way he sounded. The whole thing was a bit of a mindfuck. He was someone I knew so much about, but was also a shape shifter.

You never really knew if what he was saying was the truth.”

Written and directed by Addison Heimann, the new queer horror film, “Hypochondriac,” stars Zach Villa as Will, a gay Latino potter who has a devoted boyfriend, Luke (Devon Graye), but some secrets from his past. Will’s bipolar mother (Marlene Forte) tried to choke him when he was a young boy and has now resurfaced after 10 years, beginning to contact and haunt him in various manners. Yet with a history of mental illness in the family, are the visits real or Will’s hallucinations?

“Hypochondriac” benefits from strong work by Villa as the troubled main character trying to figure out what is happening. The best moments here are those between Will and Luke, who is watching his lover slowly disintegrate into madness. Yet it’s pretty clear early on where the film is heading. For a work billed as a horror film, it has precious few scares. Some sequences are disturbing, though. The movie works much better instead as a character study between Will and Luke, trying to keep their strained relationship alive.

MORE INFO “My Old School” is now in theaters “Hypochondriac” is now available on demand and digital

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ACTING OUT JIM FARMER

Netflix’s “Uncoupled”

PUBLICITY PHOTO

NEIL PATRICK HARRIS HEADLINES GAY COMEDY, ‘UNCOUPLED’ Jim Farmer Based on his success with “Sex and the City,” some people might assume Darren Star’s new Netflix comedy, “Uncoupled,” would be a gay version of that. In actuality, it has its own vibe and sensibility.

Neil Patrick Harris stars as Michael, a mid-40s gay man in New York who finds himself single when his longtime partner Colin (Tuc Watkins) leaves him. The series also stars Brooks Ashmanskas, Emerson Brooks, Tisha Campbell and Marcia Gay Harden.

Star and Jeffrey Richman, who created and wrote the series, had been talking about working on a project and were drawn to the idea of doing a romantic comedy about a gay man, specifically centered around a breakup.

“We both know stories about people in long-term relationships being left after many years,” Star said. “In this case, it’s about a man who is blindsided by his partner — that was our jumping off point.”

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“Uncoupled” wasn’t written specifically for Harris.

“We wrote this show and thought about who could play this role and Neil was the number one choice that came up for us and possibly the only person who could make it work in the way we imagined,” Star said.

It was important for both men to cast an out gay actor, according to Richman.

In the show, Michael has to relearn dating basics.

“He’s been away from dating and away from that [kind of ] technology for 20 years,” Richman said. “If the last time you went on a date was when you were 28 years old, it’s a different thing. Michael is a 48-year-old man.

It’s learning; it’s training wheels. ‘What — I’m in a bar but I’m not supposed to be talking to anyone. I’m supposed to be on my phone?’”

Harris was interested in doing TV again after a respite and was intrigued by something filmed in New York, where he lives.

“I think a breakup show is always worth watching, regardless of who you are,” he said.

“To create a gay breakup comedy essentially

hadn’t been done before. Darren’s track record is great and Jeffrey’s writing is fantastic and allows us to dive into a fairly overt gay relationship in a very universal way.”

Emerson Brooks, who plays Michael’s friend Billy, was born and raised in Atlanta, specifically Virginia Highland. Billy is helping Michael move forward.

Ashmanskas, known to Atlanta audiences for his work in the Alliance Theatre’s world premiere of “The Prom,” related deeply to his character of Stanley, one of Michael’s best friends.

“Billy tries to keep Michael from driving off of a cliff, keep him happy and be a supportive friend through a support system of laughs, cocktails and lunches, and a shoulder to cry on,” he said. “I like to think I’ve played that role in life sometimes, hopefully better and more responsibly than Billy does.”

“I see a lot of qualities in him that I see in myself,” the actor said. “He’s a little better at it than I am. I love the way he uses humor in a protective way and in an aggressive way.”

Both Harris and Ashmanskas have been in long monogamous relationships for decades, so the modern dating world is fairly new to them as well.

“It makes us sound older than we already are but the whole algorithmic dating app conceit has changed the game,” Harris said. “It’s no long dating, no longer trying to find someone you want to spend time with. It’s someone you want to get off with in a very specific way.

And there is value in that, to be sure. At the same time, you are dealing with emotions.

The dating world now lacks connection.”

Like his character, Watkins has ended a relationship midlife.

“Guess what — it stinks,” he said. “But sometimes it’s part of life. There’s not necessarily a good guy or a bad guy.”

Working with Harris was particularly inspiring, he said.

“Neil is like a surgeon when it comes to his acting style,” Watkins said. “He shows up and he knows exactly what needs to be done — and how to do it. He knows where the joke is, and he doesn’t push anything. He’s a magician.”

“Uncoupled” is now streaming on Netflix.

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AUGUST 5, 2022 ADS 27

BEST BETS THE BEST LGBTQ EVENTS HAPPENING IN AUGUST Jim Farmer

FRIDAY, AUGUST 5

Come sing, dance and have the time of your life at Abba The Concert, a tribute to the legendary band. 8pm, Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre Get creative, stay sexy, and have some fun, celebrating freedoms as Black and Brown queer people at the Anything But Clothes event.

Dressing the part is half the fun, and kind of the whole point, sponsored by Deviant Events.

Deviant is an intentionally sexy party, curated for and by Black and Brown queer people.

Allies are also welcome in this safe space.

Expect to dance, drink, and mingle, with music

by DJ Jash Jay and Kenneth Kyrell. 10pm to 3am, The Hangar

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6

“I Dreamed a Dreamgirl” is a two-man tour de force as performers Emerson Collins and Blake McIver tell the stories of their relationship and careers through showtunes, duets, Disney favs (and deep cuts), mashups and medleys that (probably) shouldn’t exist combining theatre, cabaret and pop. McIver has three decades of entertainment experience from winning junior vocalist champion on “Star Search” and “Full House.” Collins was featured in “Rent: Live on Fox” and produced and starred in “Southern Baptist Sissies,” “A Very Sordid Wedding” and Logo’s “Sordid Lives: The Series.” 8pm to 10pm, Out Front Theatre Company

TUESDAY, AUGUST 9

Get your Gloria Gaynor on at PALS Drag Queen Bingo. 7:30pm to 9:30pm, Lips Atlanta The Queer Romance Book Club is a group of adults that reads and discusses queer romance stories of all kinds. From new releases to older stories, contemporary to historical settings (with even some fantasy on occasion), the books read will also feature diverse pairings/configurations, sexualities, and gender expressions. This Month’s book is “Writer’s Block” by Ali Vali.

Register in advance for this meeting: https:// us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/ tZEvce6gpz8oGdGoBCFvWTle8syozvZT09vn.

7pm to 8:30pm.

Robert Ray celebrates 50 years in show business with “Back to Before,” an eclectic evening of Broadway, pop, jazz and country music. Staged in an up-tempo Vegas style, he will share intimate stories of the ups and downs of a young man from Palmetto, Georgia, who beat many odds to land a featured role in a

28 BEST BETS CALENDAR AUGUST 5, 2022

EVENT SPOTLIGHT MONDAY, AUGUST 8

Out On Film, Atlanta Pride Committee and Georgia Voice are teaming to present a free screening of two episodes of Prime Video’s new “A League of Their Own.” “A League of Their Own” evokes the joyful spirit of Penny Marshall’s beloved classic film, while widening the lens to tell the story of an entire generation of women who dreamed of playing professional baseball. The show takes a deeper look at race and sexuality, following the journey of a whole new ensemble of characters as they carve their own paths towards the field, both in the league and outside of it. 7pm, Landmark Midtown Art Cinema (Publicity photo)

MONDAY, AUGUST 15

Broadway hit and followed that success with years of theatrical, cabaret, nightclub and concert performances. Ray will be joined by his longtime singing partners Jessica Wax and Shawn Megorden along with guest performers Truman Griffin and Chris Saltalamacchio.

Kevin Baldesare and Travis Cox will make their Atlanta concert debuts. 7:30pm, Balzer Theatre at Herren’s

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

THURSDAY, AUGUST 11

Laugh silly at Femme Friday with Kia Comedy. My Sister’s Room

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12

Multi-platinum band Lady A is inviting fans to join their Request Line Tour tonight. Each night fans will experience the hit-packed set backed by rich harmonies the band is known for, while also interacting with the band in real time to directly request songs, making no two shows the same. 7:30pm, Fox Theatre

SATURDAY, AUGUST 13

The PFLAG support group for parents and families of LGBTQ children meets in person.

2:30pm to 4pm, Spiritual Living Center

Come out to meet other folks, share experiences, and participate in Southern Fried Queer Pride’s The Vast Unsaid! A Lesbian Open Mic & Meetup! The event features a live performance by Yani Mo. 7pm to 10pm, Wild Heaven West End As the WNBA season winds down, New York Liberty visits Atlanta Dream. 7:30pm, Gateway Center Arena @ College Park Catch the just-opened queer-themed horror thriller “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” starring Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova and Rachel Sennotto, in theaters.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 19

SUNDAY, AUGUST 21

SATURDAY, AUGUST 27

The LGBTQ+ Book Club is a group for LGBTQ+ folks and allies to read queer-themed

books and books by queer authors. The goal is to have diverse thought-provoking discussions about queer identity, history, and topical issues.

This month’s book is “Mean” by Myriam Gurba. Register in advance for this meeting at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/ tZEkcO2rpzojGdANXXiqdPgA0TsjdZcs_rYe. 10am to 11:30am.

Barking Leather and Good Boy Productions are proud to announce the first-ever Spelling Bee(DSM). This isn’t your daddy’s spelling bee! Test your knowledge of kink, fetish, and queer vocabulary for the chance to win the grand prize of $250 credit at Barking Leather, the 2022 Spelling Bee(DSM) winner’s patch, plus the grand-prize basket filled with goodies from local queer businesses and kink stores.

Prize baskets will also be awarded to second and third place. Show up in gear and your first drink is free! 6pm to 9pm, Out Front Theatre Company

TUESDAY, AUGUST 30

Get your networking on! Out Georgia Business Alliance’s August 2022 Power Connect is tonight. 6:30pm to 8:30pm, The Gathering Spot ATL

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THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID MELISSA CARTER

PHOTO BY PEXELS.COM / CHRIS F

Art & Love Melissa Carter

When I think of art, I think of my mother.

I even remember the first time I saw her paint.

Millie Pete had been an art teacher as a profession. She got pregnant with me later in life and decided to retire from teaching when I was very young. After that, she began painting at home to fill her time, with me by her side. The first time I watched her work was when I was sitting in my highchair next to her easel, witnessing the meticulous effort to paint a woman with a basket on her head.

That was always my favorite painting of Millie Pete’s, because it was the first one I saw evolve into something beautiful. I had two older siblings who also enjoyed her work, and I was nervous that when I grew up I would lose the lady and her basket simply by being the youngest. As a teenager, I expressed that to her, telling her I wanted to own the painting when she passed. Her answer was to immediately make a note and secure it to the back of the painting: “This painting is Melissa Carter’s.

From: Her Mom. (Signature) 5-15-89.”

The smell of turpentine always filled the air in our home, since her favorite medium was oil. A prolific artist, her work hung on the walls and spilled into corners and basement pallets over the course of my childhood.

She gave lessons at the local art store and

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in our basement, with me as a student from time to time. I learned several ways to create art, from paints and pastels to copper and clay. The only thing that stuck was sketching and cartoons, which I never pursued professionally. But she taught me that art was a necessity, not extracurricular. She was always disappointed to hear of a school cutting budgets for any artistic endeavors.

Her death in 2020 left a huge hole in my life, especially when it came to art. I took for granted the constant creative presence she provided and find what remains is a lonely landscape of few people to discuss art with.

That’s why I created the Bless Your Art initiative in my mother’s honor. The goal is to encourage you to express yourself artistically, regardless of skill level. Bless Your Art celebrates May 26 specifically, which was my mother’s birth and death date, but it is really there to inspire you to be creative throughout the year.

Fall displays nature’s most artistic canvas, which is why art festivals will soon pop up all around us. I encourage you to get out and get inspired, pull out those old art materials and do something. My son passes that painting of the lady and her basket every day in our dining room, along with many other pieces created by his grandmother. I hope over time he understands the gift of being surrounded by such creativity and carries it on in his own home when he’s grown. At least as an only child he won’t have to compete for any pieces he wants to take with him.

AUGUST 5, 2022 COLUMNIST 29

SOMETIMES ‘Y’ RYAN LEE

QUEER ATL POLITICIANS AWOL IN MONKEYPOX FIGHT Ryan Lee There have been more than 350 monkeypox cases reported in Georgia, but no one knows how much higher the actual prevalence is and it’s unclear whether anyone cares. Entering the third week since I began experiencing symptoms, one of the most challenging aspects of an otherwise mild fight against the disease has been trying to make sure my case was included in Fulton County’s surveillance data.

The CDC has declared monkeypox a nationally reportable disease (meaning every confirmed case must be relayed to county, state, and federal public health departments), even though there is not a single testing site operating in the state and no indications of a mobilization comparable to what we’ve seen with COVID-19.

When I called the Fulton County Health Department to ask how to get an infection confirmed and recorded, four different staffers gave me a four different numbers to call for assistance. An agent on the state’s public health hotline understandably told me they couldn’t accept my self-diagnosis over the telephone, but said there was no way for county or state officials to verify my case.

Given that I am uninsured, I was told to either pay for an office visit and lab tests at an urgent care facility or go to the emergency room. Once a patient arrives at the latter option, a doctor contacts the county health department to order an orthopoxvirus test, which must be couriered to the hospital in a process that could take up to seven hours for the patient.

With only Tylenol, ibuprofen, and orange juice identified as treatments for monkeypox thus far, along with the early stigma of contracting the disease, some people will endure a couple weeks of illness without incurring financial costs or a formal diagnosis. It’s also possible for a few folks

30 COLUMNIST AUGUST 5, 2022

PHOTO BY ISTOCK.COM / PRIVETIK

to assume they had a weeklong flu and experience such a mild skin outbreak that they never realize they had monkeypox (my “rash” consisted of fewer than 10 isolated dots scattered across my body, with only one on the bottom of my foot distinguishable from a zit).

Official numbers will be distorted by the lack of testing and even greater lack of urgency, and an underreported pandemic is subject to receiving less attention and funding.

While Georgia grants dominion over public health to county governments, there are no jurisdictional limits on leadership during an emerging health crisis.

What is it worth for Atlanta to have four openly queer members on its city council, when none of them — Liliana Bakhtiari, Keisha Sean Waites, Alex Wan or Matt Westmoreland — appear to be calling attention to, or devising a strategy to combat, a public health emergency that overwhelmingly affects gay and bisexual men? The mayor’s Division of LGBTQ Affairs has begun an admirable social media campaign with basic facts about the disease that directs people to the health department for testing (see above), but the memes offer no hope a specific, reality-based response from the city is in the works.

Candidly, there is nothing any of these city

officials could have said or done to protect me from contracting a disease I was fully aware of and for which I understood my risks. Each of us is responsible for keeping ourselves and others safe as best we can, but having to jump through hoops to ensure one’s illness is included in nationally mandated figures should not be a consequence of coming down with monkeypox.

With the federal government allegedly readying more vaccines for distribution, Atlanta needs vocal advocates to ensure the gay mecca gets its share and that a vigorous testing network is established (it’s an external swab). If only we had friends in high places.

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CELEBRITY BRIEFS

LGBTQ ARTS EDITION Some of our favorite LGBTQ musicians discuss their artistic inspirations, musical and otherwise, and the art they admire.

“I love Octavia Butler— Parable of the Sower, Wild Seed— I think she’s incredible. She’s still my favorite, my go-to Black author.”

—Janelle Monae, okayplayer “This Beyonce album so cunty hunty I’m finna slay the boots chew chew chew vogue pussy pussy kitty kitty kat!”

—Lil Nas X on Beyonce’s “Renaissance,” Twitter “I grew up listening to a lot of jazz because my mom is a big jazz fan!

I was really into the Spice Girls and Christina Aguilera, No Doubt, Destiny’s Child, The Black Eyed Peas, Prince, Queen, Dolly Parton and anything on the radio. All of which definitely influenced my music.”

—Kim Petras, The Daily Shuffle

“[Prince] is everything: talent, sexiness, ambiguity — all in one man. He [was] awesome.”

—Ricky Martin, Repeating Islands All photos via Facebook except Janelle Monae photo by Daniel Seung Lee THEGEORGIAVOICE.COM

AUGUST 5, 2022 CELBRITY BRIEFS 31

2022-23 SEASON

PROVOCATIVE | SEDUCTIVE | ADVENTUROUS | LEGENDARY COBB ENERGY PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE

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