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EDITORIAL

Editor: Dyana Bagby dbagby@thegavoice.com

IN THIS ISSUE OF GA VOICE

09.26.14

THE GEORGIA VOICE

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

Deputy Editor: Patrick Saunders psaunders@thegavoice.com

NEWS 6 | News briefs 7 | 2014 Atlanta Pride preview 8 | AID Atlanta, Positive Impact expand services 9 | Supreme Court ponders marriage equality cases 14 | LGBT comics shine in Atlanta’s comedy scene

Art Director: Rob Boeger rboeger@thegavoice.com

CONTRIBUTORS

Jim Farmer, Vandy Beth Glenn, Shannon Hames, Bill Kaelin, Ryan Lee, Steve Warren

BUSINESS

Publisher: Tim Boyd tboyd@thegavoice.com

OUT ON FILM

Managing Partner: Christina Cash ccash@thegavoice.com

16-17 | Out On Film festival reviews roundup 18 | Barney Frank opens up in new documentary 19 | Spotlight on ‘Blackbird’ and ‘Tiger Orange’ 21 | ‘Appropriate Behavior’ is a hilarious look at love, life and sex

Sales Manager: Marshall Graham mgraham@thegavoice.com Sales Executive: Anne Clarke aclarke@thegavoice.com Business Advisor: Lynn Pasqualetti Financial Firm of Record: HLM Financial Group

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

OUTSPOKEN

Photo via Facebook

In loving memory of Mike Ritter, 1965-2014

New generation of Atlanta gay comdians paving way for more LGBT comics. Page 14

FRIENDS & FOES IN THEIR OWN WORDS

FINE PRINT

“This is my problem with liberals.

Here’s where my fear goes. You guys want to tell parents what they can and cannot do — for example, is it going to become illegal if a parent teaches the politically correct view that being gay is not normal?”

—Sean Hannity during his radio show reacting to child abuse charges against Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings by expressing concerns that the government might start interfering with what parents can teach their children. (ThinkProgress, Sept. 17)

22 | Theater: Susan Werner scores with music for Alliance Theatre’s ‘Bull Durham’ 24 | Food: Midtown about to be hit with ‘tidal wave’ of new restaurants 26-27 | Calendar

COLUMNISTS 28 | Outside the Box: Bill Kaelin on how Madonna’s role shaped a gay man’s story 30 | That’s What She Said: Melissa Carter pens an open letter to her soon-to-be-born child 31 | Sometimes ‘Y’: Ryan Lee on how Georgia LGBT leaders are endorsing a ‘hide the gays’ strategy

—Retired gay Bishop Gene Robinson on the young, evangelical, pro-gay movement. (The Daily Beast, Sept. 21) Publicity photo

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

“Merely calling these religious conservatives “bigots” seems to me not to be very loving, because it fails to acknowledge and honor the beliefs these people hold dear. And the serious work of meeting these conservative evangelicals on their own terms, with the accompanying difficult task of explaining those offending passages of scripture, has not been done.

Until now.”

Photo via Facebook

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

Unsolicited editorial material is accepted by the GA 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.

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A&E

“For many of us, the ‘T’ in LGBT means more than transgender, it also means truth, The cast members in this documentary are fearlessly living their truths and in sharing their stories will send the message to other trans youth that it’s okay to be who you are.”

— Trans actress and activist Laverne Cox has a new show premiering simultaneously on MTV and Logo called “Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word,” which offers viewers a glimpse into the lives of seven trans youth. (Queerty, Sept. 18)

testing makes us Be educated about your HIV status.

Get tested for HIV. Find free, fast and confidential testing near you:

HIVtest.cdc.gov/stronger

/TestingMakesUsStronger

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GA VOICE | 6

09.26.14

NEWS

www.theGAVoice.com

NEWSIN BRIEF faith to tell the church to stop preaching evil.

“It means being that voice, that example and that light for that one person who might be thinking about committing suicide but doesn’t do it because I gave them hope,” he added. “I cannot afford to hide my identity out of selfishness even if it hurts sometimes because it’s not just about me.

It’s about my purpose.”

— Dyana Bagby

ATLANTA CYCLORAMA HOSTS PANEL ON GAY RELATIONSHIPS DURING CIVIL WAR

Neo Sandja (Photo via Facebook)

FIRST FTM FITNESS WORLD COMES TO ATLANTA

The first trans man conference in Atlanta that includes a series of workshops and seminars as well as a bodybuilding competition is set for Oct. 2-4 at the Georgia State University Student Center.

Néo Sandja, 30, is the organizer of the event that includes keynote speakers Buck Angel, Tiq Milan and Jody Rose.

“FTM Fitness World started on a whim,” Sandja said. “I was about to start a 90-day workout program and I asked in a Facebook group that I belonged to if anybody was willing to join us. Someone proposed that we should start our own separate group to stay accountable and that’s how the FTM Fitness group came about.”

Everywhere you look in the LGBT world, you will notice “the T is not so invisible,” Sandja said about now being the right time to host FTM Fitness World.

Sandja, who was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, said he always knew he was a boy. He fled to the U.S. in 2004 and found a safe haven in Iowa at a private Lutheran college where he heard for the first time from a college pastor that how he felt was nothing to be ashamed of. He moved to Georgia two years later.

“When my dad heard my decision to transition he completely cut me off; needless to say I’ve always been a disappointment to him since day one,” Sandja said. “I lost everything in material form and I gained everything that can never be bought, starting with happiness for finding who I really am.”

Being an out trans man means being a role model for others who are searching for their way.

“Being an out trans man means educating the world about us so that parents learn to love their children unconditionally,” he said. It also means using his experience and

The Atlanta Cyclorama is hosting a panel discussion co-sponsored by Georgia Equality and Atlanta Pride on Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. to discuss “Same-Gender Loving Men and Women in Blue and Gray.” The discussion is open to the public and will be followed by a Q&A. The anti-gay policy of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” wasn’t the beginning of a complicated relationship between LGBTQ people and the military, explains Camille Russell Love, executive director of the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.

“As we continue our commemoration of the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Atlanta we want to make sure we include as many different voices as possible,” says Love in a press release.

The Atlanta Cyclorama is located in Grant Park near the Atlanta Zoo but will be relocated to the Atlanta History Center next year.

The program will use documents, letters, and mixed media to explore gay men and some women who lived during the Civil War. Those on the panel: n Dr. Leslie M. Harris, associate professor of History and African American Studies at Emory University. Harris will discuss male/ female relationships in general during the mid-nineteenth century. n Stephen Maglott is director of correspondence for State Senator and Democratic Conference Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the highest ranking African-American and female leader in New York State government. He will present a case study about a same-gender female relationship between two free African-American women, using letters to give information about the context of this relationship. n Michael Amico is a PhD candidate in American Studies at Yale University. He is currently writing a dissertation about the love between a chaplain and a major in the American Civil War. During the panel, Amico will discuss the same-gender relationship between two Union soldiers, one a general and the other an enlisted soldier, through letters he uncovered.

— Dyana Bagby

Atlanta Cyclorama (Publicty photo)

BAR OWNER ALLEGES ANTI-GAY DISCRIMINATION HARMING MARIETTA PRIDE

Confusion over dates and events has marred this year’s North Georgia Marietta Pride, but setbacks caused by anti-gay discrimination are to blame for this year’s annual event appearing to be less than organized, an organizer alleges.

Johnathon Murphy, an owner and managing partner of LeBuzz and president of the North Georgia Rainbow Coalition, issued a long and detailed statement and apology on Sept.

15 for the confusion surrounding dates and events being held over several weeks this year to celebrate Marietta Pride’s fifth anniversary.

“This was my apology letter. Essentially I’m trying to salvage Marietta Pride this year,” Murphy told the GA Voice. “I offered up an explanation and my apology so people would understand and we could hopefully garner some support.”

Murphy said a lease was signed in May for a new spot on Wylie Road close to the current location of LeBuzz. But city officials denied a liquor license transfer and LeBuzz remains to date located at 585 Franklin Road, right off I-85.

Murphy set up a gofundme.com account in an attempt to raise $10,000 from the public that he says will go to this year’s beneficiary, the Health Initiative.

After three weeks, the city manager denied the business license transfer, citing zoning requirements.

“Maybe it’s discrimination. Maybe it’s not. I felt like it was,” Murphy said.

Lindsey Wiles, spokesperson for the city of Marietta, said the decision not to transfer the license was made based solely on the parking requirements.

“It was denied over parking requirements. All nightclubs must have one space per 125 square feet. And this location would not meet that,” she told the GA Voice.

— Dyana Bagby

Johnathon Murphy with Chi-Chi Larue at last year’s Marietta Pride. (File photo)

NEWS

www.theGAVoice.com

09.26.14

GA VOICE

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7

Show your Atlanta Pride Organizers pump cash into powerhouse entertainment lineup

By PATRICK SAUNDERS psaunders@thegavoice.com The weather cooling down and the leaves turning are not the only signs that mark the beginning of fall anymore.

If it’s late September, that means local organizations are making final arrangements, restaurants are booking extra staff, out-oftowners are finalizing travel plans, the chatter is picking up steam, and Piedmont Park is undergoing a post-Music Midtown grooming in anticipation of the biggest LGBT event in the Southeast—Atlanta Pride Weekend on Oct. 11 and 12.

There is a wide range of activities going on throughout the weekend this year, including a yoga hour, kids programming, the Pride marketplace, the community health expo, a car and motorcycle show, the commitment ceremony, the trans march, the college fair,

the dyke march, and on and on and on.

But one facet of the event is creating more noise than any in recent years—the entertainment lineup set for the Coca-Cola and Bud Light stages.

The Atlanta Pride Committee did a slow rollout throughout September of the biggest names that will grace the stages come Pride weekend, building momentum throughout the month leading into the event.

The biggest acts to head south for Atlanta Pride include Meghan Trainor, chanteuse of the number one single in the country (“All About That Bass”), dance music icon Amber (“This Is Your Night”), actress and comedian Lea DeLaria (“Orange is the New Black”) and chart-topping singer Colbie Caillat (“Bubbly,” “Realize,” “Lucky”). Caillat will headline the festival on Saturday night at the Coca-Cola Stage.

The rest of the lineup of local entertainment is among the more diverse in recent memory, with several different genres covered. And it’s not just music either. Fabrefaction Theatre and drag troupe Legendary Children Atlanta will perform back-to-back to start the day on the Bud Light Stage on Saturday.

The Atlanta Pride Committee heeded the call of the community to have more DJs, so

2014 Official Atlanta Pride Events Boy Next Door and Swinging Richards Pride Night Friday, Sept. 26 at 9 p.m.

Swinging Richards Dine Out for Pride at Barrelhouse Thursday, Oct. 2 from 5 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Barrelhouse Sips-N-Strokes (art class) Friday, Oct. 3 from 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

Sips-N-Strokes Gurlfrandz Pride Night Saturday, Oct. 4 at 10 a.m.

Mary’s Protect Your Relationship with Legal Documents Saturday, Oct. 4 from 12 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Phillip Rush Center Protect Your Relationship with Legal Documents Sunday, Oct. 5 from 12 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Phillip Rush Center Out On Film Screening: “Matt

Shepard is a Friend of Mine” sponsored by Atlanta Pride Sunday, Oct. 5 at 5 p.m.

Landmark Midtown Art Cinema HIV/AIDS Vigil Tuesday, Oct. 7 from 7 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Saint Mark United Methodist Church Turn It Up For Change feat. Avan Lava and J.D. Samson of Le Tigre Wednesday, Oct. 8 from 8 p.m. - 11 p.m.

W Atlanta Midtown Legendary Children Atlanta and Out On Film present: For Filth! A Night of Queer Shorts Thursday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m.

Landmark Midtown Art Cinema

Saturday, Oct. 10, 8 p.m.

My Sister’s Room Official Atlanta Pride Kickoff Afterparty with DJ Chris Cox Friday, Oct. 10 from 9 p.m. - 3 a.m.

Jungle YoGaga Yoga Hour Saturday, Oct. 11 from 10 a.m. - 11 a.m.

Piedmont Park Athletic Fields New York Life Kids Programming Saturday, Oct. 11 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Piedmont Park (playground and greystone area)

Atlanta Pride VIP/Sponsor Party Friday, Oct. 10 from 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Georgia Aquarium

Georgia Safe Schools Coalition Youth Liberation Space Saturday, Oct. 11 from 10 a.m. 5 p.m. (repeats on Sunday) Piedmont Park Dock

Official Atlanta Pride Kickoff Party Friday, Oct. 10 from 7 p.m. - 11: 30 p.m.

Georgia Aquarium

Pride Marketplace Saturday, Oct. 11 from 10 a.m. 7 p.m. (repeats on Sunday) Piedmont Park

Lea DeLaria hosts the “50 Shades of Orange” party Presented by My Sister’s Room and Traxx Girls

Community Health Expo Saturday, Oct. 11 from 10 a.m. 7 p.m. (repeats on Sunday) Piedmont Park (blue market booths)

DETAILS Atlanta Pride

Oct. 11-12 www.atlantapride.org

there will be sets by DJ Ree de la Vega, DJ Canvas and DJ Citizen Jane. And keeping with tradition, the final act on Sunday will be the drag blowout the Starlight Cabaret.

If you’ve been wondering if more money was put into the entertainment lineup this year, you’re right.

“Over the last few years, we have doubled the amount of money we used to spend on entertainment in order to enhance the type of entertainment we can offer during the festival,” said Buck Cooke, Atlanta Pride Committee executive director.

Per Cooke, about six percent of the budget went toward entertainment, so on a total budget of just over $800,000, that meant just under $50,000 to pack the stages with memorable acts.

But as noted, there will be plenty going on throughout the weekend to suit any taste.

And you might have heard of this little parade that goes on Sunday afternoon.

Cultural Exhibit – Deconstructing Binaries Saturday, Oct. 11 from 10:00 a.m. 7 p.m. (repeats on Sunday) Piedmont Park (bridge over Lake Clara Meer)

Multiplatinum folk pop singer Colbie Caillat headlines Atlanta Pride on Saturday night. (Photo by Kurt Iswarienko)

Atlanta Pride Dyke March Saturday, Oct. 11 from 6 p.m. - 7 p.m.

Starts at Charles Allen Gate at Piedmont Park, ends inside park at 14th St. entrance

Legendary Children Photo Booth and Drag Exchange Saturday, Oct. 11 from 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Piedmont Park Bandstand

Queer Your Gender Dance Party Saturday, Oct. 11 from 6:45 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Bud Light Stage, Piedmont Park Pavilion

Car and Motorcycle Show Saturday, Oct. 11 from 10:45 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Roadway inside Piedmont Park between 12th and 14th St. gates

Official Atlanta Pride Women’s Party: Crush Hosted by DJ and model Ruby Rose Saturday, Oct. 11 from 8 p.m. - 2 a.m.

My Sister’s Room

Atlanta Pride Commitment Ceremony Saturday, Oct. 11 from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

W Atlanta Midtown

Official Atlanta Pride Brunch: 13th Annual HRC Pride Brunch Sunday, Oct. 11 from 11:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Empire State South

Atlanta Pride Trans March Saturday, Oct. 11 from 1:45 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.

Starts at Charles Allen Gate at Piedmont Park, ends inside park at 14th St. entrance Campus Pride College Fair Saturday, Oct. 11 from 2 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Large tent near playground and greystone pool house

Atlanta Pride Parade Sunday, Oct. 12 from 1 p.m. - 4 p.m.

Peachtree St. and 10th St. Starlight Cabaret Sunday, Oct. 12 from 7:25 p.m. - 9:25 p.m.

Coca-Cola Stage, Piedmont Park Meadow Official Atlanta Pride Closing Party w/ Rosabel Sunday, Oct. 12 from 9 p.m. - 3 a.m.

Opera

2014 ATLANTA PRIDE ENTERTAINMENT SCHEDULE (times TBA) BUD LIGHT STAGE Saturday n Fabrefaction Theatre – 12 p.m. n Legendary Children Atlanta – 1 p.m. n Ricky Simone – 1:45 p.m. n Michael Powers – 2:30 p.m. n Monica Mason – 3:15 p.m. n Wesley Cook – 4:10 p.m. n Neil Cribbs – 5:10 p.m. n Queer Your Gender Dance Party with DJ Ree de la Vega – 6:45 p.m.

Sunday n House Music – 3 p.m. n DJ Canvas – 4 p.m.

COCA-COLA STAGE Saturday n Maria Gabriella Band – 2 p.m. n Cousin Dan – 3 p.m. n Symphony Crack Orchestra – 3:50 p.m. n Gurufish – 4:45 p.m. n Kick the Robot – 5:50 p.m. n Meghan Trainor – 6:50 p.m. n Amber – 7:25 p.m. n Headliner- Colbie Caillat – 8:25 p.m.

Sunday n House Music – 3 p.m. n Michel Jons Band – 4 p.m. n DJ Citizen Jane – 5:20 p.m. n Yacht Rock Revue – 6 p.m. n Lea DeLaria – 6:55 p.m. n Starlight Cabaret – 7:25 p.m.

GA VOICE | 8

NEWS

09.26.14

www.theGAVoice.com

Positive Impact, AID Atlanta make major expansion of services HIV/AIDS organizations adapting to meet needs of LGBT communities

By PATRICK SAUNDERS psaunders@thegavoice.com Two Atlanta-area HIV/AIDS organizations are taking major steps forward in their growth and dramatically expanding services to those affected by HIV and those in the greater LGBT community.

Positive Impact is moving to a new location that’s nearly 50 percent larger and will allow its staff to offer behavioral health, primary care and HIV risk reduction services for its clients all in one place.

“That’s going to be a huge deal for us,” said Michael Baker, Positive Impact’s director of advancement. “[Clients will] receive almost all the services they need in one location, and it enables the providers to access the same clinical chart so everybody can see what’s going on with a client so nothing slips through the cracks.”

Cost for the move is estimated at about $30,000 that comes from a combination of individual donations and grants, Baker said.

The on-site HIV specialty primary care will be provided by Positive Impact’s longtime partner AID Gwinnett/Ric Crawford Clinic starting Nov. 1.

“Providing on-site HIV specialty primary care will open a new point of health care access for the nearly 300 individuals that Positive Impact’s MISTER Center identifies as positive each year. Positive Impact’s current and future clients will benefit tremendously,” said AID Gwinnett/Ric Crawford Clinic Executive Director Larry Lehman in a prepared statement.

The MISTER Center is a Positive Impact program that caters specifically to gay and bisexual men in metropolitan Atlanta.

AID Atlanta and Positive Impact will also work together to provide HIV testing at Atlanta Pride. Last year, they tested more than 1,100 people over the weekend and they expect even more this year. Positive Impact typically tests about 400 clients in an entire month.

The expansion, the planning of which began last October, is another step in the growth of Positive Impact since opening its doors in 1993 primarily to provide mental health counseling services for those living with HIV. Since then, it has added a substance abuse treatment program, risk-reduction services for those living with HIV, HIV testing and STD screening and treatment.

There will be two phases to the expansion. The organization will take over the first floor of the new building the first week of October and then open up on Oct. 6. Then the second phase will begin in November or December when Positive Impact will take over at least half of the second floor. Once

Positive Impact is spending some $30,000 in its move to this new location on West Peachtree Street and will begin its expanded services Oct. 6. AID Atlanta will reveal its new $700,000 health center on Oct. 9. (Photo by Patrick Saunders)

both phases are complete, the organization will have gone from 11,000 square feet at the previous location to almost 16,000 square feet in the new one.

“I really think the clients are going to respond favorably to it,” said Baker. “We really can’t wait to show it off.”

The group will interrupt services for the move starting Sept. 30 at 6 p.m. and resume services in the new location on Oct. 6 at 9 a.m.

AID ATLANTA EXPANDS SERVICES BEYOND HIV/AIDS

AID Atlanta is broadening its scope and is making the transformation from an HIV/ AIDS service organization to a comprehensive $700,000 health center offering primary care to the Midtown Atlanta community.

The new AID Atlanta Health Center and Mark B. Rinder Center for Wellness will have its grand opening on Oct. 9.

“Our core mission will still be to stop the spread of HIV and one day find a cure,” said Jose Rodriguez-Diaz, executive director of AID Atlanta.

But the organization wanted to expand by addressing the many other health issues affecting the LGBT community.

“Gay men are dying more of anal cancer, or prostate or rectal cancer, than they are of HIV,” Rodriguez-Diaz said. “Our lesbian community is dying more of vaginal cancer and uterine cancer than HIV. So we are grouping it into a mission to really look at other chronic illnesses that affect our community and are killing our community more than just HIV disease.”

The primary care services will be provided by a new team of providers, including a new internist who is board certified in infectious diseases, a nurse practitioner with HIV and women’s health care experience, and a parttime psychiatrist. AID Atlanta also be able to offer laboratory services as well as radiological services like X-ray and ultrasound.

The Mark B. Rinder Center for Wellness is named for the longtime board chair who stepped down from the position earlier this year but still has a seat on the board and continues to offer financial and other support to the organization.

The Rinder Center will offer holistic care, chiropractic services, physical therapy, mas-

sage therapy, acupuncture, and, through a collaboration with Project Open Hand and Good Measure Meals, medical nutritional services.

The planning for the $700,000 renovation and expansion of services began shortly after Rodriguez-Diaz came on board this past January.

“My charge when I was hired was to find a way to build a sustainability plan for AID Atlanta that aligned with the Affordable Care Act,” said Rodriguez-Diaz.

The professional services firm Deloitte offered the organization a pro bono engagement and helped the organization design a business plan to help AID Atlanta achieve its goal.

Their banking partner Wells Fargo then approached the organization to come up with a package that will fund the business plan, and within three months AID Atlanta agreed on a package that increased their line of credit.

“They came to us and felt strongly as a community partner that they wanted to support us in the process,” Rodriguez-Diaz said.

But AID Atlanta isn’t done expanding yet. In January, it will be moving the Evolution Project, its program which services young African-American men, to a new space on Spring Street that currently serves as campaign headquarters for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Michelle Nunn.

NEWS

www.theGAVoice.com

09.26.14

GA VOICE

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9

Supreme Court ponders gay marriage cases Circuit conflict plays key role in High Court’s decision

By LISA KEEN The U.S. Supreme Court could announce as early as Tuesday, Sept. 30, which marriage equality case—or cases—it will accept for review this session. But, while the Court has seven marriage equality cases to choose from during its private working conference Monday, Sept. 29, it may not choose any of those seven for review.

“If there’s no disagreement [among the circuits], then the Supreme Court has the option of not taking any case for a period of time,” said Roberta Kaplan, who represented plaintiff Edith Windsor in the landmark Supreme Court case that struck down the key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act last year.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg made just that point in remarks Sept. 16 at a University of Minnesota Law School forum. Her host asked Ginsburg to comment generally on marriage equality cases before the high court and discuss whether she thinks the court will and should take a case “as soon as possible.”

“So far, the federal courts of appeal have answered the question the same way—holding unconstitutional the ban on same-sex marriage,” said Ginsburg.

“There is a case now pending before the Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Now, if that court should disagree with the others, then there will be some urgency in the courts for taking the case. But when all the courts of appeal are in agreement, there’s no need for us to rush to step in. It remains to be seen what the Sixth Circuit would rule, when it will rule. Sooner or later, yes, the question will come to the court …”

Georgia plaintiffs represented by Lambda Legal in April filed a federal class-action lawsuit seeking to overturn the state’s samesex marriage ban, but no hearings have been held on it as of press time.

WATCH THE SIXTH CIRCUIT

Ginsburg comments attracted attention from Supreme Court observers because the court had been rather quick to put the seven cases on its list for discussion at its first big “long” conference. But Ginsburg was basically voicing what many such observers already know: The Supreme Court is keen on taking appeals when there’s a disagreement among the circuits.

So far, four appeals courts have ruled such marriage bans unconstitutional: the Ninth (in last year’s Proposition 8 case), the Tenth (Utah and Oklahoma), the Fourth (Virginia), and the Seventh (Wisconsin and Indiana).

Another Ninth Circuit panel heard oral

The Supreme Court could announce as soon as Sept. 30 if it will review a same-sex marriage case. (Official photo)

arguments Sept. 8, in cases challenging bans in Hawaii, Nevada, Idaho, and Oregon, but it is widely expected to find once again that the bans are unconstitutional.

But a three-judge panel of the Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals heard arguments Aug. 6 in cases from Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee, and it seemed to signal it was prepared to uphold state bans on marriage for same-sex couples. That would create a conflict, but the panel has not yet released its opinion. If there was anything unusual about Ginsburg’s comments last week, it was that she expressed, very diplomatically, the widespread impression that the Sixth Circuit is likely to uphold the bans.

Kaplan thinks Ginsburg’s remarks are a strong indication that the Court is more likely to accept a case from a circuit that disagrees with the others—either the Sixth or the Fifth Circuit. The Sixth Circuit decision could be released any day now; the Fifth, which covers Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, recently gave the state of Texas an extension of time (until Oct. 10) to file its final brief in Perry v. DeLeon.

If the Supreme Court declines to review one of the pending marriage cases this session, said Kaplan, it would have to lift the stays currently in place.

“Then marriages between gay couples could happen in a whole bunch of new states,” she said. That would enable same-sex couples to get married in 12 additional states: Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas, and Oklahoma in the Tenth Circuit; Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and West Virginia in the Fourth Circuit; and Wisconsin and Indiana in the Seventh Circuit.

Added to the 19 states that already enable same-sex couples to marry, the count will then stand at 31 and the District of Columbia.

That seems unlikely.

QUESTIONS ARE THE SAME IN ALL CASES

So, if and when it takes a case, does it matter which marriage equality case the Supreme Court accepts? Does it change the prospects for the decision if it takes a case where the ban has been upheld? Does it matter whether the attorneys arguing the case are seasoned veterans before the Supreme Court?

Constitutional law legend Laurence Tribe, the Harvard law professor who argued against state bans on same-sex sexual activity in the 1986 Bowers v. Hardwick case, said, “It could matter in a large number of ways” but he was “ “disinclined to speculate about it at this point.”

Lambda Legal senior attorney Jenny Pizer offered some ideas. Though she and others agree the “core arguments will be very similar regardless of which case or cases the Supreme Court takes,” Pizer noted that there can be interesting and important ancillary arguments.

“For example, if the Ninth Circuit rules as many anticipate and invalidates the marriage bans … the Supreme Court would have the heightened scrutiny for sexual orientation classifications question presented more squarely because that is currently the law of the circuit,” said Pizer.

“If they take the Baskin [case] out of [Indiana in] the Seventh, there are issues of emergency relief in the context of serious illness that might influence the Court’s analysis and timing. If they take Bostic out of Virginia, there could be a strong temptation to talk more about the historical parallel [with the ban on interracial marriage, in Loving v. Virginia]. And I have to wonder if the same would be true if they were to take [the] Kitchen [case] out of Utah, given the unique history of that state’s marriage laws [and polygamy].”

Shannon Minter, legal director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, noted that state officials are “vigorously” defending the ban in the Utah case, in which NCLR

and Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders are helping represent plaintiff couples. The Supreme Court might favor such a case to avoid any procedural snag like it faced in the California Proposition 8 case, which was appealed by a third party which lacked legal standing to file the appeal.

Lambda Legal’s national Legal Director Jon Davidson said attorneys for all the cases think their case is a particularly good vehicle for review, but said, “The questions presented for review are essentially the same in all these cases.”

As for whether it matters if seasoned Supreme Court attorneys present the arguments for plaintiff couples, Tribe and others said it probably doesn’t matter.

“As long as they’re sufficiently ‘seasoned’ not to make any ridiculous concessions or to overreach in any foolish ways,” said Tribe, “this is not the kind of case in which counsel’s arguments are likely to make much difference.”

“There are slight issues in terms of whether a state’s attorney general is defending the law, but other than that,” said Kaplan, “the legal arguments and the plaintiff facts are virtually identical” in all seven cases.

Evan Wolfson, head of the national Freedom to Marry group and a participant in the early marriage cases, agreed.

“All of the cases that have reached the Court present compelling stories from the plaintiffs, and all are in good hands with strong lawyer teams. Each lawyer, of course, would like to be the one who gets to stand before the Court, but the reality is that, whichever case the Court chooses and whichever lawyers are the lead, it is the strong collective presentation we will make together—on top of the friend-of-court briefs, the rulings from the more than 30 wins below, and the records and arguments the justices have already considered last year—that will matter.”

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COMMUNITY

09.26.14

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A laughing matter LGBT comics shine in Atlanta’s comedy scene

By DYANA BAGBY psaunders@thegavoice.com A lesbian, a bear and a drag performer walk into a popular Italian restaurant on Atlanta’s hip Edgewood Avenue …

There’s no punchline, actually, but instead a fairly philosophical discussion of Atlanta’s comedy scene, the gay comedy scene specifically, and what the future holds for comedy in the ATL. “Comedy is very serious. It’s a science.

It’s psychological. And if you get very in tune with it, it can be spiritual,” says Brent Star.

Star is known throughout the city for his outrageous drag performances in blond afro wigs, thigh-high red high-heeled boots and skimpy attire as well as stand-up routines where he prides himself on making people laugh about the mundane, such as Red Bull and, on this particular day, Noni’s fries tossed in Parmesan cheese.

“Oh, I like them tossed,” Star says with a lilt in his voice.

Star, Ian Aber and Julie Osborne are at the forefront of Atlanta’s gay comedy scene and will be starring in the “Loud and Proud: LGBT Comedy Showcase” on Oct. 9 at Laughing Skull Lounge. They do the jobs for the laughs, but being funny is a responsibility they take, yes, seriously.

“Visibility has to happen with gay comics in the mainstream scene,” says Aber, who hosts numerous open mic and comedy shows in metro Atlanta in gay and straight clubs nearly every night of the week with his company ABear Comedy. ABear Comedy is presenting the LGBT showcase along with Laughing Skull Lounge.

“Part of that [visibility] helps so when a new guy comes along and we’ve paved a path … we have a seat at the table,” he says.

“When I have a bad night, at least I can say I represented. And when I go outside the Perimeter and they look at me like I’m an alien … it’s when they laugh despite themselves.

They try to resist you because you’re gay. But then you catch someone laughing—oh, that’s precious. That’s like carbs to me now.”

Osborne says she quit her corporate job some three years ago to chase her dream of being a stand-up comic. She also produces and hosts comedy shows, including the popular “It’s That Time of the Month” show at My Sister’s Room.

“We all know there were so many LGBTQ comedians out there already before us. We definitely appreciate the people who came before us. But for some reason the universe chose us at this time to be the face of gay

DETAILS Loud and Proud: LGBT Stand Up Comedy Showcase Benefiting AID Atlanta Oct. 9, 10 p.m.

Laughing Skull Lounge $15 www.laughingskulllounge.com

comedy,” Osborne says.

Aber quickly follows up by saying he used to watch and admire Atlanta’s openly gay comics in the 1990s, but the scene then was so small and room for inclusivity was nearly nonexistent. In 2014, times have changed for the better for LGBT people, and that includes comedians.

“We’re the new generation,” Aber says.

BUT SERIOUSLY, COMEDY IS FUNNY

Playing for straight audiences with straight comedians means dealing with the racism, misogyny and homophobia common in comedy, Aber explains.

“You do have to have a thick skin. The open mic nights are like the comment sections of the internet, so you can’t be offended about it,” he says.

Those who say they aren’t racist or stress they are gay allies but then get on stage and say something anti-gay and racist are actually just setting up barriers for themselves to any kind of comic success, Aber adds. “I mean, come on, try harder,” he says.

Star said his first love was theater before he tried stand-up, adopting the stage name Brent Star as part of his stand-up act. He then became part of Atlanta’s drag scene, keeping the name Brent Star, to help him accept himself as a gay man. Now he’s returning to his comedy roots and poking fun at what he sees around him.

“I used to get very offended when people joked about the stereotypes of black people stealing or straight people making fun of gay people. But comedy taught me to have a thicker skin even more so than the drag world,” Star says. “In a way it’s very therapeutic for me and it’s made me a stronger entertainer and person.”

As the faces of a new generation of gay comedy in Atlanta, Osborne, Aber and Star perform in front of straight crowds. In April, Aber booked a show with the Sweetwater 420 festival that included mostly gay comedians with a few straight comics thrown into the bunch “so the audience could collect themselves,” he says.

The show, in front of some 300 heterosexual hipsters, was a huge success, Aber adds.

It went from being slightly gay to flaming homosexual, with Star closing, and the audience laughed and cheered.

“The audience never had to decide to accept us as gay or not. They just accepted funny,” Aber says. “This was a defining moment for

Brent Star (far left), Ian Aber and Julie Osborne represent the new generation of LGBT comics in Atlanta’s renowned comedy scene. (Photo by Dyana Bagby)

me in comedy in Atlanta. One of biggest complaints I hear is, ‘You’re gay, we get it.’ We’re funny, period, and we’ll talk about being gay.”

There’s a misconception by some about comedy that comedians don’t care if the audience laughs. Not true, says Osborne.

“We want you to laugh,” she says simply. “If someone says they don’t care if you laugh, that’s bullshit.”

TIME FOR GAY COMEDIANS TO SHINE

LGBT comedians have been around since the first open mic, but the lesbian, the bear and the drag artist say now is the time to shine.

Anyone interested in doing stand-up is encouraged to seek out open mic nights and even seek out Aber, Osborne and Star for guidance. Aber says he sees his role as a commitment to comedy and building a scene where 20-30 LGBT comics can make a

living in Atlanta and even move on to bigger cities such as Los Angeles and New York.

The scene is missing a transgender comedian, he adds, and there are nearly endless chances during the week to find a place to perform and work on your act.

One of Star’s first performances was outdoors, in front of Java Monkey in Decatur, in full costume. When you start out, you can’t say no to a gig, he says.

Jay Leno recently said the future of comedy rests in the hands of LGBT comedians, Aber says. That’s a responsibility to take seriously.

“Lesbians and gays have always been funny. Now we are taking ourselves serious enough to do standup. It’s our season,” Star says. “Doing this LGBT showcase is our representation of the scene welcoming us.

It’s time for us to be included in the walk of fame of comedy.”

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N O T U O

M L I F LITY A U Q H G I H S NG FESTIVAL BRI IES TO ATLANTA LGBT MOV

By STEVE WARREN This year’s selection at Out on Film is outstanding.

I was repeatedly blown away by the quality of many of the films I previewed. I’ve been covering LGBT festivals for a long time, and I can remember when a situation like this year’s—“Love Is Strange” opened before the festival, “The Imitation Game” wasn’t available in time and Out on Film screened “To Be Takei” and “The Dog” prior to the festival—would have left nothing but a few awful rom-coms and a documentary about the LGBT movement in some country or region that is years or decades behind the U.S. Instead you’ve got at least three films that will be back at the Landmark for a regular run before Thanksgiving and several more that deserve theatrical runs but aren’t perceived as being commercially viable.

In other words, you can see “Guardians of the Galaxy” again if that’s your thing, or you can see films made by people who didn’t have a budget for space-

MORE OUT ON FILM

Above: ‘Boy Meets Girl’; Right: ‘Alex Mapa: Baby Daddy’; Below left: ‘Matt Shepard is a Friend of Mine’ (Publicity photos)

For more detailed versions of these reviews, visit www.thegavoice.com

Here, in the order of their festival showing, are mini-reviews of the films I previewed.

OUT ON FILM

BLACKBIRD (Oct. 2, 7:15 p.m.)

Oct. 2-9 outonfilm.org

ships, car chases and explosions; so they wrote about people, many of them people like you and/or me, and had actors enact their stories. What a concept!

About a third of the features, slightly more than last year, are from other countries. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re in foreign languages, just as films from the UK can have some Chinese dialogue (“Lilting”) and those from Canada can have a little French (“Tru Love,” “Gerontophilia”).

Also represented are Brazil (“The Way He Looks”), Israel (“Snails in the Rain”), Finland (“Open Up to Me”), Spain (“My Straight Son”), France (“Eastern Boys”), Germany (“Rosie”), Switzerland (“The Circle”) and the Netherlands (“Boys”).

Many of the lunchtime shorts programs are free as is a Sunday family film, the 1974 TV version of Marlo Thomas’ “Free to Be...You and Me.” Shorts are usually excellent because the festival has more of them to choose from than features. They often introduce up-and-coming talent and of course they appeal to short attention spans.

Besides watching movies, there’s networking and socializing, as well as eating and drinking, at the Out on Film 27 Lounge, next door to the theater at Apres Diem. Directors, actors and others associated with the films will be holding Q&As almost every night and will probably visit the lounge afterward. VIP passholders get special privileges there.

Choirboy Julian Walker resists coming out in high school in Patrik-Ian Polk’s drama that combines the elements of a lurid melodrama into a satisfying entertainment. Mo’nique and Isaiah Washington add marquee value as Walker’s parents.

EASTERN BOYS (Oct. 2, 9:20 p.m.)

A train station pickup leads to a home invasion by a gang of illegal immigrants, which may lead to romance between the middle-aged French victim and the young man used as bait. The drama is always watchable and the first half-hour is technically brilliant.

BORN TO FLY: ELIZABTH STREB vs.

GRAVITY (Oct. 3, 3:45 p.m.)

Lesbian choreographer and rugged individualist Elizabeth Streb gets the documentary treatment from Catherine Gund. Streb’s risky acrobatic style isn’t my idea of dance but it’s visually exciting and she’s quite a character.

BOY MEETS GIRL (Oct. 3, 5:20 p.m.)

Boy meets girl in the body of Michelle Hendley, who’s fabulous in this delightful surprise about a transgender teen in a small Kentucky town. The tone is mostly light without trivializing the situations as the film progresses from Transgender 101 into a postgraduate course.

TRU LOVE (Oct. 3, 7:10 p.m.)

It’s an interesting twist when a 30-something daughter has to cope with her mother (Kate Trot-

ter, memorable) coming out as a lesbian, and while the drama is overwrought and overacted, it made me care about the characters.

THE 10 YEAR PLAN (Oct. 3, 9:05 p.m.)

Romantic Jack Turner and slutty Michael Adam Hamilton are best friends who agree at 25 to settle for each other if they haven’t found life mates in ten years. It’s passable entertainment for undemanding gay viewers but not especially well done.

THE FOXY MERKINS (Oct. 4, 11 a.m.)

New York newbie Lisa Haas learns the art of being a homeless hooker from Jackie Monahan in Madeleine Olnek’s mildly disappointing second feature that still has dry wit, deadpan style and surreal situations to keep the movie off-the-wall and the viewer off-guard.

DRUNKTOWN’S FINEST (Oct. 4, 11:05 a.m.)

Native Americans are so underserved in film that three of them—one, Carmen Moore, who is transgender—have to represent the entire Navajo nation in Sydney Freeland’s drama that gets better the more you think about it—and you can’t not think about it once you’ve seen it.

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LILTING (Oct. 6, 7:30 p.m.)

Despite minor flaws that would only bother a critic, “Lilting” is an incredibly moving drama about a Chinese woman (Pei-pei Cheng) adrift in London who doesn’t know her son is gay until he dies and she becomes dependent on his “friend” (Ben Whishaw), who she never liked.

Award winners from the big summer festivals that are showing here include:

QUEENS & COWBOYS: A STRAIGHT YEAR ON THE GAY RODEO (Oct. 7, 7:25 p.m.)

Audience Award Best Documentary: “Compared to What: The Improbable Journey of Barney Frank”

Matt Livadary’s documentary about the gay rodeo circuit offers wonderful portraits of some LGBT participants but totally avoids any controversy about how rodeo animals are (mis) treated, which is disingenuous if not dishonest.

APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR (Oct. 7, 7:30 p.m.)

Above: ‘Out in the Night’ (Publicity photo)

ALEC MAPA: BABY DADDY (Oct. 4, 7 p.m.)

Unless you have the parenting gene, you’ll prefer the general material of the first half of Mapa’s one-man stand-up show to the second half, focused on the 5-year-old he and his husband adopted. It’s all good enough that I liked Mapa more at the end than I did going in.

TIGER ORANGE (Oct. 4, 9 p.m.)

Repressed Chet (Mark Strano) and extroverted Todd (Frankie Valenti, a.k.a. Johnny Hazzard) are gay brothers who reunite in their small hometown after their father’s death, in an engagingly sincere first feature by Wade Gasque.

LIMITED PARTNERSHIP (Oct. 5, 11 a.m.)

MATT SHEPARD IS A FRIEND OF MINE (Oct. 5, 5 p.m.)

Reviewing what you know and adding some information you probably don’t, the story of Matthew Shepard’s (1976-1998) brief life is told by friends and family members. There’s arguably TMI, but I wouldn’t blame you if you cried for the entire 89 minutes.

THE LAST ONE (Oct. 8, 7:30 p.m.)

THE WAY HE LOOKS (Oct. 5, 7:15 p.m.)

CLUB KING (Oct. 8, 8 p.m.)

Daniel Ribeiro must be Brazil’s John Hughes, the way he tells the tale of a blind teenager with overprotective parents who competes with his platonic gal pal for the new boy in school. It’s compassionate (and sexy) without becoming a pity party.

A storybook romance with two handsome princes, this documentary covers the 41-year love story of Tony Sullivan and Richard Adams, the first gay married couple to challenge America’s immigration laws, after the INS, in 1975, said “two faggots” couldn’t be married.

GERONTOPHILIA (Oct. 5, 9:10 p.m.)

ROSIE (Oct. 5, 11:05 a.m.)

CRAZY BITCHES (Oct. 6, 7 p.m.)

A gay novelist is stuck caring for his sick, alcoholic mother and takes sexual advantage of a smitten young fan in a well-made, naturalistic Swiss drama about some unhappy, unpleasant people. I admired it without enjoying it.

OUT IN THE NIGHT (Oct. 5, 12:35 p.m.)

Four African-American lesbians were imprisoned, probably unjustly, in 2006, for assaulting a man who was sexually aggressive.

Blair Dorosh-Walther lets us know them as people and prisoners, rather than the subjects of media exploitation, in this effective documentary.

With her NYU graduate thesis film, writerdirector-star Desiree Akhavan shows she’s ready for prime time. She plays a semi-closeted, bisexual Iranian-American who has romantic adventures and misadventures in Brooklyn while trying to win back her former girlfriend.

Bruce LaBruce eroticizes wrinkled flab the way other gay directors do taut muscles in this romance between a teenage boy and an octogenarian nursing home resident. It needed a bigger budget to flesh out the story, but what there is is fine.

A disappointing sophomore effort for Jane Clark after last year’s “Meth Head,” this slasher movie has its moments but doesn’t quite work as horror or camp. Transgender actress Candis Cayne has a great opening scene but it’s downhill from there.

Cathy DeBuono plays the token lesbian among the potential victims.

The story of the Names Project Quilt, before and after it moved to Atlanta in 2002, is documented in somewhat unfocused fashion, but the film makes its point that the fight against HIV/AIDS is far from over.

This breakneck-paced documentary portrait of club promoter Mario Diaz indulges his narcissism shamelessly while showing how his parties brought sexy back to AIDS-ravaged New York in the ‘90s and Los Angeles since 2001. I didn’t love it but I think Jon Bush has made exactly the movie he wanted to make.

BFFs (Oct. 9, 7:05 p.m.)

Best friends fake a lesbian relationship to attend a couples retreat in an uncinematic dramedy that should have been a stage play. There’s considerable substance in the script Tara Karsian and Andrea Grano wrote to showcase their acting talent, but it’s in the wrong medium.

FRAMELINE (SAN FRANCISCO) Audience Award Best Feature: “The Way He Looks”

Juried Award Honorable Mention First Feature: “Lilting” Juried Award Achievement in Documentary: “Kumu Hina”

OUTFEST LOS ANGELES

Audience Award Best Dramatic Feature: “The Way He Looks” Audience Award Best First U.S. Dramatic Feature: “Drunktown’s Finest” Jury Award Documentary Feature Film: “The Circle” Jury Award Actor in a U.S. Feature Film: Mark Strano, “Tiger Orange” Jury Award Screenwriting in a U.S. Feature Film: Desiree Akhavan, “Appropriate Behavior” Jury Award U.S. Dramatic Feature Film: “Drunktown’s Finest” Jury Award International Dramatic Feature Special Recognition: “Lilting”

NEWFEST (NEW YORK)

Best Feature: “The Way He Looks”

EAT WITH ME (Oct. 9, 8:40 p.m.)

Mom (Sharon Omi) goes to stay with her gay son (Teddy Chen Culver), who’s running an unsuccessful Chinese restaurant, in a light dramedy with a sloppily written script but a cast that’s likable enough to make you enjoy it anyway.

THE CIRCLE (Oct. 5, 3 p.m.)

Ping-ponging between present-day interviews and reenactments of the past, Stefan Haupt tells the history of Switzerland’s first gay organization and the 50-years-plus love story of two men who met at one of their annual balls.

Left: ‘Club King’; Above: ‘The Last One’ (Publicity photos)

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Barney Frank opens up

DETAILS Compared To What: The Improbable Journey of Barney Frank

Followed by a Q&A with co-director Sheila Canavan Sunday, Oct. 4 at 4:45 p.m.

Landmark Midtown Art Cinema www.outonfilm.org

Documentary reveals the openly gay former Congressman’s path to power, love

By PATRICK SAUNDERS Barney Frank has left the building.

Last January, the former U.S. congressman from Massachusetts wrapped up a 30+ year stint of making his voice heard throughout the halls of the U.S. Capitol, routinely getting into scraps with those on the right but never shy about mixing it up with opponents within his own party.

He came out as gay in 1987, making him the first member of Congress to do so voluntarily. But his sexual orientation took a back seat to his personality. He’s brash. He doesn’t suffer fools. He’s very funny. Passionate. A master at political procedure.

It’s a mixture that led him to take the lead on numerous LGBT issues when others wouldn’t, but he’s probably best known for being a leading co-sponsor of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act, which reformed the entire U.S. financial industry.

The new documentary “Compared To What: The Improbable Journey of Barney Frank,” shows all those sides of Frank and more, revealing what it took to not only survive but thrive as an openly gay man in the highest levels of political power. The film screens October 4 at Landmark Midtown Art Cinema as part of the Out On Film festival and will be followed by a Q&A with co-director Sheila Canavan.

Frank called the GA Voice from the Algonquin, Maine, home he shares with his husband of two years (but partner for seven years), James Ready.

In this exclusive interview, he discusses how his humor helped him in political dust-ups, what the LGBT movement is missing, why he doesn’t owe the transgender community an apology and what he misses (and doesn’t miss) about Congress.

What made you want to do the documentary?

Probably ego, to have a movie made about you.

But also I thought we’ve made a lot of progress in diminishing the prejudice against LGBT people and we’ve gone a long way in establishing our rights.

But there’s still a lot of prejudice out there and a lot of negativity that gets thrown at younger gay people. And I thought my example could be helpful, the fact that I could come out and get married and

Openly gay former congressman Barney Frank in the new documentary screening at the Out On Film festival. (Photo courtesy Jim Ready) still be able to move ahead in the political world.

Also, one of the things that troubles me today about American public opinion is this purely negative view of politics and politicians. I blame the internet. There’s all kinds of nonsense on the internet that reinforces the view that we [politicians] have all these special privileges. There’s the notion that members of Congress live lives unlike those of most Americans, that we are insulated and pampered.

You’re known for being very direct, to say the least, when arguing your point, but your sense of humor has softened the blow in a lot of confrontations you’ve had. How did your wit help you in your political career?

Well it softens the blow in some ways but sharpens it in others. It does help keep the temperature down so you don’t get into this vitriol, but on the other hand...look, people are bombarded with information and bombarded with opinions. One of the things you want to do is to find a way to make the point you want to make stand out. And I think humor is a good way to do that. People will remember something that was funny more than just another comment.

But to be honest, that’s not the main reason.

I resort to humor for me. I enjoy it, it relieves the boredom. And also frankly it’s a weapon. Nobody likes to be made fun of, nobody likes to be laughed at. People may be nervous that I’ll make them look bad and that’s very helpful, it’s a deterrent.

What’s the LGBT movement missing right now?

I’ve been in a lifelong battle with many people in the community over the importance of participating in politics. The notion that registering to

vote and lobbying elected officials and putting pressure on them, somehow that’s contrasted with militant activity like demonstrating and marching. The trouble with the demonstrating and the marches is, unless they’re very carefully targeted, they’re ineffective and in some cases worse than that because people think they’ve accomplished something by showing up at a parade. Parades are fine, have fun, but they’re not a political instrument most of the time.

Combined with the fact that many on the left, where many of our people think, ‘Oh, politics isn’t worth anything and they don’t pay attention to us.’

Well they do. The counterexample I give people is, you want a militant organization that is successful, I would cite the National Rifle Association. When’s the last time you saw the National Rifle Association have a march or a demonstration? They don’t.

What they do is focus intensively on getting their members to write or call or go see every member of Congress and to vote in primaries. So I think it’s gotten better but people in the LGBT community still undervalue militant political participation as if that was somehow ineffective.

Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin recently apologized at the transgender Southern Comfort Conference for not including the transgender community in the Employment Non-Discrimination Act in 2007 after former HRC President Joe Solmonese promised to do so. Do you feel you have anything to say to the transgender community about that?

Chad Griffin’s one of those people whose political judgment seems to be off. The fact is that HRC and I and everybody else were for an inclusive bill in 2007.

The issue was we did not have the votes for an inclusive bill. It wasn’t a failure of will. Then the question was, was something better than nothing? Was it better to pass a bill that was protective of lesbian, gay and bisexual people or pass nothing? We tried very hard.

The transgender community had this mistaken view that if Nancy Pelosi waved a magic wand, transgender would be included. And we were insisting to them that, look we don’t have the votes, help us lobby. Instead of trying to put pressure on the people who were against them, they thought they could just insist that we do it. We said, ‘We’re trying, but we need your help.’

And Chad Griffin was one of the people in California who were arguing that the way to get marriage was, ‘Well we shouldn’t have to go state-by-state, we should just get one big national decision.’ Well they were wrong. The Supreme Court did not decide in favor of same-sex marriage in Prop 8. Neither did the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The DOMA case was the big case. Now because so many states have had it, I think we will win a Supreme Court decision, but the Supreme Court wasn’t going to do that out front.

They’re building on the state-by-state experience.

What do you miss most about being a congressman?

I miss friends. There is again a very mistaken view...members of Congress on the whole are very intelligent, thoughtful people. Some of the people I thought I had most in common with were my fellow Democrats, a couple of Republicans, not as many as there used to be. So I miss that.

I miss the chance to influence policy, but on the other hand I was just worn out, my nerve endings were frayed. It got to the point where when the phone would ring, I would hate it. I would think, ‘Oh Christ, what now?’ So I don’t miss, frankly, the responsibility for trying to help resolve issues and having things that other people do dictate how I spend my time.

So which member of Congress would the country be better off if they retired?

Oh yeah, the number one would be Darrell Issa (R-Calif). He’s just unfair, he’s dishonest. He’s a particularly disruptive one.

So your wedding is included in the documentary. How’s married life?

Oh wonderful. I’m sitting in our house in Algonquin now, looking out the window at the trees and to the ocean beyond. But in about an hour I get in a car and drive down to Cambridge. I’m teaching at Harvard. It’s a great life. I spend midweek in Massachusetts, we’ve kept our apartment in Newton and then I’m here for long weekends. So I’m very, very happy.

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‘Blackbird’ sings of conflict between religion, sexuality Director Patrik-Ian Polk continues to shine light on black gay experience

DETAILS ‘Blackbird’

Oct. 2, 7:15 p.m.

Q&A to follow including cast members Julian Walker, Torrey Laamar and Nikki Jane Landmark Midtown Art Cinema After party at Apré Diem www.outonfilm.org

By DYANA BAGBY Patrik-Ian Polk believes it was more than coincidence when he came across the book “Blackbird” in a store in Boston when he was a freshman in college at Brandeis University.

“I found it randomly. I found it in a bookstore with a gay and lesbian section—I’d never seen a gay and lesbian section before. It had a black person on the spine … I like to think I was supposed to find it,” he says.

The book, by Lambda Literary Award-winning novelist Larry Duplechan and published in 1986, is set in Southern California in the 1970s; “Blackbird” the film is set in the present day in the small Baptist town of Hattiesburg, Mississippi—the same city where Polk was raised.

But there are no autobiographical experiences played out in the film, Polk says, other than being filmed in his hometown.

The richness of the story and the characters in the book were enough to inspire Polk to make this film, one he’s wanted to do since he read “Blackbird” more than 20 years ago.

Isaiah Washington and Mo’Nique star in Patrik-Ian Polk’s ‘Blackbird,’ the opening night film at this year’s Out on Film fest. (Publicity photo) “The book is different. I made some significant changes, but the essence of the story is still the same,” he says.

In the film, Randy Rousseau (played by newcomer Julian Walker in an amazing acting debut) is 17 and trying to come to terms with his sexuality while also trying to stay true to his strict Baptist upbringing.

Playing Rousseau’s parents are Academy-award winner Mo’Nique and Isaiah Washington. Washington,

formerly of TV’s “Grey’s Anatomy,” was involved in a controversy in 2006 when fellow cast member T.R. Knight accused Washington of calling him “faggot.”

Washington apologized, but blowback from the LGBT community finally led to Washington being fired.

“We love to reduce people to silly little tabloid moments,” Polk says, calling the controversy “that ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ nonsense.”

Polk said having Washington act in his film is a high point of his career—he considers the award-winning actor, who has worked with the likes of Clint Eastwood and Spike Lee, one of the best actors in the business.

“He is my favorite actor on the planet. He’s one of our greatest actors,” Polk says of Washington.

It was Washington who asked Mo’Nique to join the project and the two are amazing together in the film.

“Both were amazing,” Polk says. “They nail it every time.”

But Julian Walker steals the show with his portrayal of Randy Rousseau, a choirboy who struggles with his sexuality while trying to stay true to his religion.

“This film tackles the issue of religion and Christianity in a very interesting way,” Polk says.

“We all grapple with our lifestyle and with our religion … and certainly when one is gay or lesbian that is magnified.”

The movie is not about bashing religion but rather about what people do when they hold Christianity very close to their hearts but their identity goes against what they’ve been taught.

“Blackbird” is much different from Polk’s popular Logo series “Noah’s Arc,” but he says all his work centers around the black gay experience, so this film is not a major departure from his previous work.

“There’s not much representation [of the black gay experience]. I’m excited when I see other work, but it doesn’t happen very often. Sometimes I feel like I’m the only one in this genre, which saddens me,” he says. “But there is always hope for the future.”

Atlanta has played a key role in Polk’s growth as a filmmaker, and he is honored to have his film open at Out on Film. As a “black gay mecca,” the city has been very supportive of all his work and he says he looks forward to returning.

“Atlanta has a thriving black gay population and it certainly has been very good to me,” he says.

Viewers will not only be impressed by the acting and the story, but by the music as well. Julian Walker’s voice is a presence all its own.

“There’s not been a film like this before,” Polk promises.

Estranged gay brothers face their pasts in ‘Tiger Orange’ Former porn star garnering widespread praise for feature film debut

DETAILS Tiger Orange

Followed by a Q&A with director Wade Gasque and stars Mark Strano and Frankie Valenti Saturday, Oct. 4 at 9 p.m.

Landmark Midtown Art Cinema www.outonfilm.org

By PATRICK SAUNDERS What happens when the only thing you have in common with your sibling is that you’re both gay?

That’s the crux of director Wade Gasque’s “Tiger Orange,” which will be screened at Landmark Midtown Art Cinema on Oct. 4 as part of the Out On Film festival.

The film stars Mark Strano (also a co-screenwriter) and Frankie Valenti as brothers who must face their differences during a time of upheaval. Many might know Valenti better as Johnny Hazzard, the popular former adult film star. This is Valenti’s feature film debut.

But don’t write off “Tiger Orange” as some farce starring a porn star as a gimmick. The film is a dramatic story showing what happens when two estranged gay brothers try to reconnect after the death of their father, and it’s getting solid reviews as it tours the festival circuit.

Frankie Valenti stars in ‘Tiger Orange.’ (Publicity photo) Variety lauded Valenti’s “fine performance” and rebutted naysayers, confirming, “Yes, he can act.”

While The Hollywood Reporter raved, saying the film “may be best remembered for demonstrating the acting chops of [Valenti]” and that he “walks away with the film.”

In “Tiger Orange,” the character of Chet (played

by Strano) is the more buttoned-up, responsible brother who never left his small central California hometown, while Todd (Valenti) is the tatted-up bad boy who left town as soon as he turned 18 and never looked back—until his father’s passing.

“He’s the one with the in-your-face kind of personality, he never hid who he was, he is out and loud and proud, much to the dismay of the townspeople and his brother,” Valenti tells the GA Voice.

But underneath that tough facade is a little boy lost.

“Todd’s always been searching for that sense of belonging and family and camaraderie,” he says.

Valenti scored the role thanks to a sizzle reel he put up on YouTube in hopes of landing a reality TV show.

“Mark had told me he was familiar with my previous body of work, no pun intended,” he says.

“He came across [the sizzle reel] and got an idea of my personality and the way I carry myself and he said they were confident I had what it took. I think they had an idea from the get-go that they wanted me to do it.”

The budding actor found parallels between his life and that of his character’s life, which helped inform his decisions on set.

“My brother was not gay but we’re both very different. My father passed away very young, I left home as soon as I got pubic hair, I never told my father I was gay but he always knew,” Valenti says.

“Just having that feeling from very early on that I didn’t belong with the family. It was much later in life that I got that feeling of belonging.”

Valenti has been too busy with his entrepreneurial projects (including a t-shirt line called Spit Shine) and hitting the festival circuit with “Tiger Orange” to even begin playing the Hollywood game, saying he has no agent and hasn’t started going on auditions. But later this fall, he plans to get back to Los Angeles and, armed with a well-received film debut and an armload of great reviews, see if he can overcome the odds and make the rarest of acting transitions.

What is Out on Film?

Out on Film is Atlanta’s own LGBT film festival. We’re in our 27th season. Out on Film was created in 1987 to inform, entertain, educate and enrich the regional LGBT community by recognizing the creative work of LGBT artists and professionals.

How can I learn more?

For details about films and schedules, including trailers, special events, and volunteering go to:

www.outonfilm.org

Thank You Sponsors!

Atlanta’s LGBT Film Festival Celebrating Pride at the Movies

October 2 - 9, 2014

{

Landmark Midtown Art Cinema

v

Just a sample of this year’s more than 80 films.

BLACKBIRD

MATT SHEPARD IS A FRIEND OF MINE

APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR

THE WAY HE LOOKS

OUT ON FILM

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OUT ON FILM

On her best ‘Appropriate Behavior’ Desiree Akhavan moves beyond gay film tropes for hilarious look at love, life and sex

By DYANA BAGBY Probably one of the best films showing at this year’s Out on Film is “Appropriate Behavior,” written, directed and starring Desiree Akhavan.

In all the interviews and stories about Akhavan, she is compared to Lena Dunham, the creator and star of HBO’s hit series, “Girls.” And much to Akhavan’s good fortune, she will be starring in Season 4 of the show—a definite milestone for a career poised to make her a household name in the next few years.

As for the Lena Dunham comparisons, Akhavan, 29, is more, well, flattered than anything else. But she also knows it comes with the territory.

“There are a lot of similarities and that’s the way you sell papers,” she says. “Everyone knows who Lena Dunham is. Nobody knows who Desiree Akhavan is. She’s a really supportive, lovely, generous artist. But at the same time, I don’t see my male counterparts being compared to someone else.”

Akhavan’s bluntness and fearlessness when it comes to speaking the truth—about sex, relationships, family—are what make her a voice very much worthy of being listened to. Plus, she’s just very funny, too.

“Appropriate Behavior” premiered—and was a hit—at the Sundance Film Festival.

“I tried to not imagine anything,” she says of the film’s success. “I was just crossing my fingers to complete the film. This has been a really lucky year.”

In the film, Akhavan portrays Shirin, an IranianAmerican bisexual living in Brooklyn trying to find any way she can to reconcile with her ex-girlfriend while also attempting to teach youngsters how to make movies.

There are autobiographical pieces in the film— Akhavan is Iranian-American, is bisexual, and the film was made as a way to help deal with the breakup with a girlfriend.

But it’s not based on actual events, she says.

“It’s inspired by experiences I’ve had or transitions I’m going through … but there is a distinction between the personal and the autobiographical,” she explains.

For example, Akhavan has never walked down a Brooklyn street carrying a strap-on dildo as Shirin does in the opening scene of the film. Akhavan also

DETAILS ‘Appropriate Behavior’

Tuesday, Oct. 7, 7:30 p.m.

Landmark Midtown Art Cinema www.appropriatebehaviormovie.com

has never asked out a lawyer in front of her exgirlfriend at a political discussion group as a way to make her jealous.

“I would never do that,” she says. “My crazy alter-ego would do that.”

In the film, Shirin is also closeted to her family, something that drives her ex-girlfriend crazy. When asked how her parents dealt with her coming out, Akhavan didn’t want to say too much.

“There is so little I get to keep for myself. But it wasn’t an easy process. I’d rather not talk about it. I will say my parents are incredibly supportive now, they love the film, and are huge cheerleaders for me,” she says.

Akhavan is currently working on a TV pilot at the Sundance Institute’s first Episodic Story Lab. The show, titled “Switch Hitter,” is planned to be a halfhour comedy and is about Leila Shahi, a woman who turns down a marriage proposal from her lesbian

Desiree Akhavan stars as Shirin, a bisexual Iranian-American, who has a hard time coming to grips with her life after breaking up with her girlfriend in the romantic comedy ‘Appropriate Behavior.’ (Publicity photo)

partner after coming to terms with her bisexuality.

Akhavan says it is time for society to have a serious (but set in a comedy) discussion about bisexuals.

“I hope to change [the stigma surrounding bisexuality] and further the dialogue,” he says. She chastises the mainstream entertainment industry who allows “us to swallow only one specific kind of gay.”

“Like Ellen and Portia, or Cam and Mitchell on ‘Modern Family.’ Until we are flawed we are not actual people,” she says.

And that’s what Akhavan may be most proud of with “Appropriate Behavior.”

“It’s the anti-gay film gay film. It’s a gay film but it doesn’t fall into any tropes I see in other gay films,” she says.

This year’s Tour features eight homes that highlight the wonderful diversity of architecture and décor in Ansley Park.

October 18 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm October 19 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm Tickets $20 in advance; $25 on-site

SCADpads, three fully functional residences the size of a parking space, are included on the Tour. This is a unique opportunity to experience lifestyles at completely opposite ends of the spectrum.

for tickets and details, visit

ansleytourofhomes.com

GA VOICE | 22

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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THEATER BY JIM FARMER

Let’s play ball!

Susan Werner scores with music for Alliance Theatre’s ‘Bull Durham’ The world premiere musical “Bull Durham,” based on Ron Shelton’s own experiences and the classic film, is up and running at the Alliance Theatre, and while reviews have been a bit mixed, most everyone seems impressed by the score of musician/songwriter Susan Werner.

Producers in New York approached Werner, who is openly bisexual, several years ago, telling her her music had a “theatrical” style.

“They liked that the songs had a realization, an epiphany or some kind of transformation or psychological development,” Werner recalls.

Although she’s admittedly always written music that’s more like theater than pop songs, she never really thought about writing for the theater at all.

“The producers took me to dinner and

they said they were writing a musical,” she says. “They asked me if I liked baseball and then asked if I wanted to write this. I couldn’t breathe for five minutes. This was the opportunity of a lifetime.”

She did a lot of research, watching and studying musicals. “I started going to a lot of shows,” she says. She would take a Sharpie with her to productions and take copious notes. “I knew nothing about this stuff,” she says. “How it’s put together—the structure, elements like lights and sound and staging; how it all contributes to the storytelling, working on transitions and reprises.”

Coming up her with 18-song set took a while. “A couple of songs came fast, but others I had to fight tooth and nail for,” she says. “The opening number took a while.”

Werner is no stranger to the Atlanta area—she has played Eddie’s Attic every year for 20 years. She attended “Bull Durham’s” opening night with her female partner, whom she married in May of this year. (A good number of other LGBT actors and crew members in the production brought their spouses too, she says). “The first time we

DETAILS ‘Bull Durham’

Alliance Theatre 1280 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta, GA 30309 Through Oct. 5 www.alliancetheatre.org

‘Mamma Mia’

Fox Theatre 660 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30308 Through Sept. 28 www.foxtheatre.org

Singer/songwriter Susan Werner scored the music for the baseball musical ‘Bull Durham’ now playing at the Alliance Theater.

(Photo via Facebook)

had an audience was so exciting, one of the thrills of my life,” she says.

‘MAMMA MIA’ RETURNS TO FOX

Out performer Mark Harmon (not the straight actor who stars in NCIS on TV) is in the cast of “Mamma Mia,” which has returned to the Fox Theatre courtesy of the Atlanta Broadway Series. He plays Harry Bright, one of three suitors who are invited to a Greek island and could be the father that young Sophie is looking for to walk her down the aisle.

Harmon’s Harry is a British banker.

“When you first meet him he is this stuffy,

very British snob,” the actor says. “He gets to recapture the spontaneity of his youth. I really like that fact that they allowed me to put my own take on it.”

Harmon is a big fan of the musical and thinks nostalgia and the music of ABBA have kept it popular. “That’s the big draw and it’s very clever how they use the songs,” he says. “They haven’t changed. They are still performed the way they were written originally, but sometimes they will take a very poignant ABBA song and make it funny, the way it’s presented. ” The audience reaction always pleases him.

He’s had people tell him they see it every time it’s produced nearby. “We’ve also had people see the matinee and go right to the box office and buy a ticket for that night,” he says. He has been with show since August, when he started rehearsals, and will continue through the summer of next year.

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Eating my words BY CLIFF BOSTOCK

Midtown about to be hit with ‘tidal wave’ of new restaurants Craft Izakaya, Luminary open in Krog City Market The Midtown area is about to be hit by a tidal wave of new restaurants. Newbies will be busting out all over, but the biggest concentration will be at the Krog Street Market and the Ponce City Market. Both are located along the BeltLine, the hottest in-town real estate these days. We’re talking 20 or so restaurants and food-court-style “stalls” in those two alone.

So far, only two full-service restaurants have opened, both in the Krog Street Market (99 Krog St., www.krogstreetmarket.com) —The Luminary and Craft Izakaya. I recently visited both with my Friday night dining pals. First up was Craft Izakaya (470-355-9557, www.craftizakaya.com) An izakaya is a Japanese pub. Think Asian small plates and lots of sake and craft beers.

The new restaurant has a long community table, as well as tables for two and four.

The décor is woody with lots of latticework.

The lighting glows.

The central decorative feature is the sushi bar. This too is consistent with new restaurant trends whether Japanese or not. Expen-

A classic Croque Monsieur is one of the many delights on the menu at The Luminary now open in Krog Street Market.

(Photo via The Luminary)

sive fish and a focus on alcohol mean higher profits. Twelve pieces of sashimi cost $29.95, for example, but that’s adequate for two. Add seven pieces of nigiri sushi and a toro roll and that’s $47.95, good for four. There are other “composed” dishes like salmon belly with a warmed tomato sauce and roe over sushi rice for $12.95. These prices are not out of line for good-quality sushi, maybe even a bit lower.

But you’re not at all limited to raw fish.

There are lots of maki rolls, some containing fried ingredients like soft-shell crab (a favorite of mine everywhere). Others contain shellfish like scallops and shrimp with veggies. Almost all of these are under $10.

The sushi-shy can rest easy. Most of the menu consists of grilled, fried and steamed dishes. I particularly liked a slightly sweet, small bowl of chicken over ramen, a plate of tempura-fried asparagus and shrimp, fried octopus, and a few skewers of grilled meats.

The latter, yakitori, are available with everything from chicken hearts and gizzards to bacon-wrapped scallops and pork belly. They are under $5 and ideal with a cup of sake.

The following week, my friends and I visited The Luminary (404-600-6199, www. theluminaryatl.com), directly across from Craft. It markets itself as a French-American bistro. It’s not going to put Atmosphere out of business, but the rather small menu includes some classic dishes that we enjoyed. A warning: My friends complained a lot about the cost. I’m not sure I agree with them. All but one of the entrees is under $25, with starters hovering around $10. You could easily spend that much at Craft next door.

Here too is a seafood bar, this one of-

fering raw oysters along with clams, and classic shrimp cocktails. A bowl of Pei mussels with crème fraiche was actually a nice change from the oysters that have become as ubiquitous as, um, mussels used to be.

True, they were on the miniature side, but the large portion ($10) compensated for that.

I was pleased to see brandade, one of my favorite dishes in the world, on the menu. It’s a classic from the south of France, usually made with salted cod blended with potatoes.

For my entrée I ordered the classic (hanger) steak frites, as did a friend. We ordered them medium-rare, but mine came to the table rawer than rare, a real chewing challenge. Flavor was nonetheless excellent and the fries freshly made and super-crisp.

Both these restaurants are worth a visit. The Krog Street Market is going to be an amazing opportunity to sample a variety of cuisines, as will the Ponce City Market.

Meanwhile, Lenox Square, the Westside, and a new development in Alpharetta are similarly filling up with eclectic opportunities to make eating an expedition.

Cliff Bostock, PhD, is a longtime Atlanta food critic and former therapist who now works as a collaborative life coach.

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ow There are tw inclusion in our online r fo t n event ve e T LGB ubmit your S . rs a d n le ail and print ca eGAVoice.com or e-m h .t w . w info to w AVoice.com ditor@theG details to e Photo via Facebook

FRIDAY, SEPT. 26

The Atlanta Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce hosts its monthly Fourth Friday networking at Lab Monkey Communications, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m., www.labmonkeycommunications.com

FRIDAY, SEPT. 26 Yummy. It’s Swap Meat party with DJ Vicki Powell and special guest DJ Mark Louque, famous for his Fag Bash parties in Ptown and also his photos in Butt Magazine. The Radical Faeries will be working the Boozy Cougar upstairs and screening vintage 8mm men’s films. 10 p.m., Mary’s, www.marysatlanta.com

Dinner with the Bears – the Southern Bears meet and eat at 7 p.m. at Shortys Pizza, 3701 Lawrenceville Hwy., Tucker, Georgia 30084 The highly-awaited “Lasso of Truth,” about the origin of the Wonder Woman superhero, opens tonight courtesy of Synchronicity Theatre in their new space on Peachtree, 8 p.m., www.synchrotheatre.com

Publicity photo

Boy Next Door and Swinging Richards Pride Night is a fundraiser for Atlanta Pride. Patrons bid on undies they want to see come off. 9 – 11 p.m., Swinging Richards, www.atlantapride.org SWANK is a party held the last Friday of the month for the ladies, and of course guys are welcome to come. DJ Prism spinning, no cover. 9 p.m. at 10th & Piedmont, www.facebook.com/bellissima.atlanta Edie Cheezburger and her usual assortment of special guests present “The Other Show” drag event weekly at Jungle, 9:30 p.m., www.jungleatl.com

SATURDAY, SEPT. 27 Jasmine Guy hosts Broadway on the Westside, a fundraiser for Actor’s Express. She will be joined by WABE’s John Lemley and entertainment includes The Skivvies, 6:30 p.m., Westside Cultural Arts Center, www.westsideartscenter.com

Photo via Facebook

THURSDAY, OCT. 9 Legendary Children and Out on Film present “For Filth! A Night of Queer Shorts,” dedicated to experimental cinema and all that is queer, southern, and crazy. 7-8:30 p.m., Landmark Midtown Art Cinema, www.outonfilm. org, www.legendarychildrenatlanta.com

The Midnight Cabaret is the newest show at LeBuzz, hosted by Myah Ross Monroe and featuring Yvonne Leon, Tatyanna Tuesday Dickerson and Tiffany Diamond DeVille. DJ Birdman spins before and after. 18 to party, 21 to drink. Show begins at, yes, midnight. LeBuzz, www.thenewlebuzz.com

SATURDAY, SEPT. 27

The NOH8 Open Photo Shoot and Open House presented by HRC begins at noon at Jungle. Wear white. Solo photos are $40 and group shots are $25 per person, 12 – 3 p.m., www.jungleatl.com Georgia’s Queen of the Blues, Francine Reed, comes to Red Clay Theatre and brings some performing friends, 8 p.m., www.eddieowenpresents.com The first Doggy Date Night and Pet Pageant, 8-10 p.m., on the patio of LeBuzz. This event is part of North Georgia Marietta Pride. $5 entry fee with categories including Best Costume, Most Photogenic and Best in Show, www.thenewlebuzz.com Join Sage Atlanta for Museum Day today. Enjoy free general admission for you and a guest at hundreds of museums and cultural venues nationwide today. Download the Museum Day admission card

TUESDAY, SEPT. 30

The Ladykillers Tour, with Hunter Valentine in concert, drops tonight, with doors opening at 6 p.m., My Sister’s Room, www.mysistersroom.com

SOMETHING GAY EVERY DAY!

Bookmark www.thegavoice.com to get your daily dose of local LGBT events. from the website www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/ to receive free admission at participating locations. Venues in the Atlanta area include the High Museum of Art, Museum of Design Atlanta, Center for Puppetry Arts. SAGE Atlanta members will be participating today at noon. For more information, visit www.sageatl.org The East Atlanta Strut Parade features celebrities, floats, kids, motorcycles, scooters, classic cars, marching bands, senior citizens and campy drag queens. This year’s theme is Drag On and Strut Your Stuff! The parade is sponsored by Mary’s and Pocket Rocket Guide, with the Atlanta Talons serving up jello shots following the parade behind Mary’s. 2 p.m., Glenwood and Flat Shoals, Atlanta, 30316 Cubs and otters and more will be loose at the fourth anniversary of Bearracuda, with DJ Louis

Lennon, 9 p.m., Heretic, www.hereticatlanta.com It’s Gear Wear Night with DJ Nnat as well as Panther L/L Bar Night, 10 – 11 p.m. at the Atlanta Eagle, www.atlantaeagle.com

SUNDAY, SEPT. 28

Topher Payne’s “Perfect Arrangement” continues at Onstage Atlanta at 3 p.m. today, courtesy of Process Theatre, running through Oct. 4, www.onstageatlanta.com Join Lambda Legal supporters for cocktails and hors d’oevres at the annual event, this year held at the City Club of Buckhead. 3-6 p.m., www.lambdalegal.org/events/ll-in-atlanta The acclaimed “Love is Strange” with John Lithgow and Alfred Molina as lovers continues at the Midtown Art Cinema and Phipps Plaza.

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The Pride Kickball summer league hosts Monday Games at 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at Piedmont Park sponsored by Blake’s on the Park. For more information: www.gokickball.com/atlanta/

TUESDAY, SEPT. 30

Gay-friendly singer/songwriter Brendan James takes the stage at Eddie’s Attic, 8 p.m., www.eddiesattic.com

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 1

The Atlanta Gay and Lesbian Gay Chamber of Commerce (AGLCC) presents AGLCC University: BRAND YOU—Get Noticed and Get Results, presented by the Coca-Cola Company, 6 – 8 p.m., One Coca-Cola Plaza, 310 North Avenue NW, Atlanta, 30313 Game on! The world premiere of “Bull Durham” continues through Oct. 5 at the Alliance Theatre, 8 p.m., www.alliancetheatre.org Get your bingo on tonight at Joe’s on Juniper at 8 p.m., www.joesonjuniper.com G’s Midtown’s Sing For Your Supper event, with DJ Audio Prism, is tonight from 10 p.m. – 2 a.m., www.communitashospitality.com/gs-midtown

THURSDAY, OCT. 2

SAGE Atlanta hosts its social hour from 10 – 11 a.m. and then discusses Pride planning at 11 a.m., Phillip Rush Center, www.rushcenteratl.com Dine Out for Pride at the Barrelhouse, beginning at 11 a.m. A portion of sales today go to help the Atlanta Pride Committee, www.atlantapride.org The 27th annual Out On Film annual LGBT film festival opens at the Midtown Art Cinema with the Patrik-Ian Polk film “Blackbird,” starring Mo’Nique, 7:15 p.m., www.outonfilm.org The first FTM Fitness World conference opens today in Atlanta and runs through Oct. 4. The conference will feature workshops on fitness, nutrition, wellness (health), spirituality, finances and sexuality (dating, relationships, sex, etc.). The main featured event will be a bodybuilding competition. The Loudermilk Conference Center, ftmfitnessconference.com

FRIDAY, OCT. 3

The Center for Civil Human Rights presents a presentation on LGBT Rights in the USA and across the globe. Join panel moderator Cathy Woolard with special remarks by Dr. Ulrich Maly, the mayor of Nuremberg, Germany, for this event, $50, 11 a.m.

– 1:30 p.m. bit.ly/lgbtevent

|

Famous Parliament House in Orlando, Fla., www.gayusofatlarge.com Blake’s hosts Glitter Bomb, 75 minutes of high-energy illusion, at 11 p.m., www.blakesontheparkatlanta.com

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

SATURDAY, OCT. 4 AND SUNDAY OCT. 5 The Protect Your Relationship with Legal Documents event is presented by Georgia Benefits Counsel, guiding LGBTQ couples on how to protect their relationships with important and necessary legal documents. LGBTQ couples in Georgia still need wills, financial powers of attorney and advance directives for health care at a minimum, which are provided by these clinics. 12 – 6 p.m., Phillip Rush Center, www.rushcenteratl.org

SATURDAY, OCT. 4

It’s GA Voice day at Out On Film, with “Compared to What: The Improbable Journey of Barney Frank,” “Alec Mapa: Baby Daddy,” “Tiger Orange” and more on tap.

The Atlanta Gender Variations: Parents of gender variant/trans children support group meets in Atlanta from 2 – 4 p.m., www.uuca.org ACLU of Georgia, Georgia Equality, Georgia Safe Schools Coalition, Gwinnett StoPP, Interfaith Children’s Movement and Lambda Legal in conjunction with the Dignity in Schools Campaign are holding a march and rally to raise awareness of harsh school discipline, 2-5 p.m., at 352 University Ave., Atlanta, GA 30310, www.gwinnettstopp.org “Black and Poly,” a global non-profit founded by Ron Young, is dedicated to the education and support of individuals and families of color new to living and practicing the ethical form of non-monogamy called polyamory. The goal is to create a culturally rich and diverse environment, where all people can come together to socialize, learn, and share common interests related to polyamorous living. All ages are welcome (kids included). Join the group at Charis Books and More on the first Saturday of each month from 1:30-2:30 p.m., www.charisbooksandmore.com The Lesbian 50+ Potluck and Social is an opportunity for some tasty food and new friendships, 6 – 8 p.m., Phillip Rush Center, www.rushcenteratl.org “Let’s Make a Deal,” hosted by Ken, rounds up contestants tonight at Friends on Ponce, 6 – 10 p.m., www.friendsonponce-atl.com

The new Cirque du Soleil extravaganza, “Amaluna,” opens tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Fox Theatre, www.foxtheatre.org

SUNDAY, OCT. 5

7 Stages premieres the comedy/fantasy “The Doctor, the Devil and My Dad,” written by Suehya-El Attar, with Topher Payne in the cast, 8 p.m., www.7stages.org

A Bake Sale for Dad’s Garage is from 2-6 p.m.

Hosted by Blast Off Burlesque and part of a campaign to raise money for Dad’s Garage to purchase an old church in the Old Fourth Ward. The bake sale will be at the Euclid Avenue Yacht Club, www.blastoffburlesque.com

Miss Gay USofA at Large 2014 at the World

GA VOICE

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MONDAY, SEPT. 29

09.26.14

Still up and need to dance? Come to Xion and hear beats by Gino Santos, 3 a.m., cariocaproductions.com

TUESDAY, OCT. 7

Out and Proud – A Celebration brings together adult performers Michael Brandon and Scott Spears along with Sister Roma to benefit The MISTER Center, Lost-n-Found Youth and the Atlanta Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, 8 p.m., Lips-Atlanta, www.mamabearcharities.org

The ninth annual ‘Same Love, Same Rights’ LGBT Wedding Expo in today, with dozens of gayfriendly exhibitors to help you and your fiancee plan the ceremony of your dreams. Free raffle giveaways and LGBT-planning tips & trends are on the table. 12:30 – 3:30 p.m., Crowne Plaza AtlantaMidtown, www.crowneplaza.com/Atlanta

sored by AID Atlanta, St. Mark’s United Methodist Church and SOJOURN, 7 – 8 p.m., St. Mark United Methodist Church, www.atlantapride.org

The Victory Fund Atlanta Champagne Brunch is today at the Intercontinental Atlanta Buckhead, with Texas’ Mary Gonzalez speaking, 12:30 - 3:30 p.m., www.intercontinentalatlanta.com

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 8

It’s a writers in the round concert with Hannah Thomas, Jamie Lynn Vessels and Morgan Rowe.

Doors open at 5 p.m., concert at 6 p.m., Eddie’s Attic, www.eddiesattic.com Atlanta’s Angelica D’Paige and friends—including Brent Star and Destiny Brooks—purr up fun at Sex Kitten, with $5 burgers and Smirnoff cocktails, 8 p.m. at 10th and Piedmont, www.communitashospitality. com/10th-and-piedmont/promotions/Sex-Kitten-with-Angelica-DPaige $2 well drinks are on tap all day and night at Sunday Funday at Bulldogs, 893 Peachtree St., Atlanta, GA 30309

MONDAY, OCT. 6

The Atlanta PFLAG Support Group meets tonight, 7:30 – 9:30 p.m., Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta, www.uuca.org The Stars of the Century drag show is every Monday at Jungle, 10 p.m., tinyurl.com/matzdvf

TUESDAY, OCT. 7

Atlanta Pride’s annual HIV/AIDS vigil remembers those we have lost in the AIDS pandemic. Co-spon-

Cockpit Atlanta is the home for YouTubesday ‘90s mix with VJ Ayem, www.facebook.com/ cockpit.atlanta Expect 78,002 pre-teen girls swarming the venue as Disney on Ice presents “Frozen” today through Oct. 12, various times, Philips Arena, www.philipsarena.com Pets Are Loving Support (PALS) hosts Pride Bingo tonight, hosted by Bubba D. Licious, Jaye Lish and Edie Cheezburger, at 7:30 p.m. at Jungle, www.jungleatl.com Ruby Redd hosts bingo 8:30 p.m. at the Hideaway, www.atlantahideaway.com Join the W Atlanta Midtown as its gears up for Atlanta Pride in Altitude, the 27th floor ballroom, and partner with the Human Rights Campaign and the Atlanta Pride Committee.

The event includes special performances by New York City’s multi-faceted dance-pop act Avan Lava opening for headlining DJ, J.D. Samson of Le Tigre and MEN. 8 p.m., www.watlantamidtown.com

THURSDAY, OCT. 9

Every Thursday is 3 Legged Cowboy Night with free dance lessons from 8 - 9 p.m. at the Heretic, www.hereticatlanta.com Phoenix of RuPaul’s Drag Race brings her sass to her Dancefloor Divas show, 11:30 p.m., Burkhart’s, www.burkharts.com

GA VOICE | 28

09.26.14

COLUMNISTS

www.theGAVoice.com

OUTSIDE THE BOX One big ‘Celebration’ Madonna’s role in shaping a gay man’s story Last month the world celebrated Madonna’s 56th birthday. August 16th has become something of a “national gay holiday,” with parties thrown all over the world for the icon, and Atlanta joined in.

East Atlanta’s Mary’s threw its yearly “Madonna-rama” event this year, complete with Madonna remixes, rare tracks and videos playing to a packed house. The line outside was fit for a queen, with people waiting more than an hour to get in.

The following night I hosted a screening of Madonna’s critically acclaimed documentary, “Truth or Dare,” at the gay-owned Plaza Theatre. The newly remodeled theater with cozy seats, a full bar, new sound and a brand new screen was the perfect place to host the event, a benefit for AID Atlanta, to honor this year’s new “Mistress of Ceremonies” for AIDS Walk 2014: Sandra Bernhard, who also makes an appearance in the film.

Sandra was essentially outed by Madonna in the movie, making it a hilarious, shocking and famous LGBT moment, and in honor of the groundbreaking scene, the Laughing Skull Lounge gave away two tickets to the upcoming live Sandra Bernhard show on Oct. 18 for the best Madonna costume. Tons of people “Expressed Themselves,” with every generation of Madonna represented, making the sing-along style screening that much more special.

Anyone who really knows me understands that I am a true Madonna fan. It is the biggest gay stereotype that I am proud to own up to. Men in our community can be judgmental about my love for her, because some think it makes me more effeminate or a “super gay” to respect and honor such a female icon. I once dated a guy who broke up with me because he was embarrassed that I liked her as much as I do, although he watched “Designing Women” and “Golden Girls” on a nightly basis. Go figure.

It is important to know that I was only a 12-year-old small-town, Midwestern, strictly raised Catholic school gay kid when I purchased Madonna’s debut cassette tape with my Holy Confirmation money. Barely starting puberty and really wrapping by head around being “different”; I was instantly obsessed. The crucifixes, the sex, the beats and the balls of her made my

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

parents hate her and me love her even more.

My parents screamed that the world would forget her, but here we are almost 30 years later and she is as famous as Elvis and is actually Googled more than the Virgin Mary herself.

Watching “Truth or Dare” is like watching an old home movie of your funny and obnoxious sister in her younger years. I was 20 years old when the film came out, and the first time I watched it I instantly wanted her to be my best girlfriend. She was fun, talented, rude, protective, and she loved her out and open gays. I had never seen the like before.

The film was also the first time I had seen a Gay Pride Parade or a protest march for AIDS, which scared the shit out of me, but the maternal role she assumed with her gays made me feel safe, and I wished that I could have a girlfriend like her so everything would be OK. “Truth or Dare” showed me a side of life that I’d never seen before. She helped to remind the world that “we were here, we were queer, and to get used to it,” and also helped me to embark on my journey as a gay man.

She stayed with me every step of the way, and in return I stayed with her as well.

I’m sure Madonna is mildly embarrassed to watch some of “Truth or Dare” today. To put it in perspective, I don’t think I would want to see my 24-year-old self high on God only knows what on the silver screen for everybody to see. Would any of us? I realized, watching the film 23 years after its release, how much she has evolved and ultimately how far I have come as well.

We have grown up together, and although I have never met her, she ultimately became that friend and support system that I dreamed of the first time I saw “Truth or Dare,” helping to make my big gay life that much easier, more fun and one big “Celebration.”

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09.26.14

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GA VOICE | 30

09.26.14

COLUMNISTS

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THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID To my child An open letter to welcome you

Hear from local LGBT leaders and learn more about Victory’s efforts to increase LGBT political representation in Georgia and all across the South.

Paid by the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, www.victoryfund.org. Contributions or gifts to the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund are not tax-deductible.

Dear Child, We are just days away from your arrival into this world. Hard to believe the moment is almost here, even though you would think I’d be ready for it. Your other mother and I have spent the majority of our near decadelong relationship wishing, trying, and preparing for you. But I’m not sure anyone is ever ready for the intense responsibility of being the caretaker of another human being.

Whatever kind of mother I become, I wanted to take this opportunity to share a few things I hope you learn in this life.

Making mistakes is a good thing. It means you tried something new. But the key to mistakes is what you do with them. Don’t strive for perfection and allow mistakes to make you feel bad about yourself. Make sure you instead pay attention to when the mistake was made, without worrying about what anyone thinks, and find your solution.

When you fall down, get up. Keep trying.

Eventually you’ll get it right.

Life is a potluck dinner. When I grew up our church held dinners where you could eat a massive feast, as long as you contributed a covered dish to the table. You should treat your life the same way. Enjoy the fruits of your labor and don’t be ashamed to treat yourself, whether it’s to a nice car or an exotic vacation. But before you do, make sure you have done something to make another’s life enjoyable. Just like my church family taught me, you can’t take from this world until you’ve given to it first.

Write your plans in pencil. There will be goals you’ll want to achieve and you will— sometimes. But many other times you won’t be able to, and you’ll need to be adaptive and take advantage of the unexpected opportunities that come your way. Remember you are not the only one who walks this Earth, and everyone wants to do great things. Life is a team effort, never a solo performance. Accept help and give help along the way, and don’t be frustrated if your initial goals have to change.

Melissa Carter is one of the Morning Show hosts on B98.5. In addition, she is a writer for the Huffington Post. She is recognized as one of the first out radio personalities in Atlanta and one of the few in the country.

Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCarter

Be a gentleman. You are the child of two mothers, so I expect you to understand that women are your equal and deserve to be given the same respect and rewards as men.

That means terms such as “bitch,” “whore,” and “slut” should never, ever be in your vocabulary. Also make sure to open the door and give up your seat for others.

You belong. Faith in yourself will be tested. Much like the pressure on coal makes a diamond, negative experiences can be useful tools in revealing what you’re truly made of. But no matter how vulnerable or desperate you ever become, never feel like wasted breath. A team of people worked very hard to get you here, and both your mother and I learned being born means beating the odds.

If you’re alive, you are meant to be here.

I’ll do my best to be a good Mom. I pledge to love you for who you are and not for what I envision you to be. Your goals and desires in this life will be your own, and it will be my job to give you the tools to recognize them. Son, I got to hear your first heartbeats and you will hear my last. Between those human bookends I will cherish all the time we get to have with one another.

The next few weeks will be traumatic for you. You’ll be cold, learn how to breathe air, vomit almost as much as you eat, and heal from a circumcision. All that will soon work itself out and your curiosity about this place.

And I’ll be there the whole time, ready to hold your hand.

I love you, Mom Editor’s note: Melissa Carter will be taking off the next several weeks from writing this column as she spends time with her child.

We wish her and her family all the best.

COLUMNISTS

www.theGAVoice.com

09.26.14

GA VOICE

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SOMETIMES'Y' Nunnthing to see here

Georgia LGBT leaders endorse ‘Hide the Gays’ strategy For many years, the debate over samesex marriage was designed to have little to do with marriage, and even less to do with gay people.

When California voters were deliberating the Knight Initiative, a 2000 ballot measure that declared, “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California,” LGBT activists strategically avoided making the case for why gay and lesbian couples deserved the same rights as heterosexuals. Instead, the “No on Knight” campaign centered its message on legislative redundancy: voters should reject the proposition because state law already forbade same-sex marriage.

In almost every battle against state ballot initiatives up to early 2012, LGBT activists were determined to make the votes not about marriage, but about how the proposals would also outlaw civil unions and domestic partnerships. The conversation in Georgia in 2004 was not about LGBT people, but nebulous “discrimination” and “human rights;” it was about how the anti-gay laws would inadvertently punish unmarried seniors in Ohio, or strip domestic violence protections from single mothers in North Carolina.

These were valiant (if creative) campaigns against insurmountable challenges, no matter the message. However, our decision to “Hide the Gay” during these debates helps explain why, despite the exponential progress LGBT people have achieved in courtrooms and across pop culture, our electoral influence is static.

When Democrat Michelle Nunn announced her bid for the U.S. Senate, no one expected LGBT rights to be a centerpiece of her campaign. I was encouraged that she was at least willing to state her personal support for same-sex marriage.

However, once a leaked memo revealed that Nunn’s campaign saw “a huge opportunity for mobilizing [the LGBT] community and their substantial resources … Projected Goal: $300,000,” it began to feel like the candidate was exploiting a group with which she otherwise couldn’t be bothered. Targeting us as a vital source of campaign funding, while offering the most mumbled support

Ryan Lee is an Atlanta writer.

for our issues, and staking out a position that ultimately leaves same-sex marriage unconstitutional in Georgia.

Like the debates about gay marriage referenda, the current discussion about Nunn has little to do with marriage, and even less to do with Nunn, who is a likeable progressive that I and most other LGBT Georgians will be voting for in November. Rather, it’s about some LGBT Georgians’ willingness—almost eagerness—to cling to the notion that it is better for everyone involved if we and our issues are out of sight, and out of voters’ minds.

If a candidate spoke to a Jewish gathering without mentioning Israel or a group of teachers without addressing education, he or she would be booed out of the room. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jason Carter stood before hundreds of LGBT supporters in July without saying a word about LGBT issues—or even the words “gay” or “LGBT”—and was rewarded with $100,000 in campaign contributions.

One would think that our “community and their substantial resources,” would at least warrant inclusion of LGBT issues and events alongside the other constituencies and topics Nunn highlights on social media, but Nunn has decided LGBT Georgians are worth zero attention. No reference to our issues on her campaign website. No interview with LGBT media to outline her positions. No rhetoric about equality and fairness in her stump speeches.

Yet, questions about what Nunn has done to deserve such generous LGBT support have been decried as foolish and subversive by the LGBT establishment. Georgia’s gay elites lecture those who they deem electorally naïve, “single-issue” voters, while they themselves advocate an outdated strategy whose ineffectiveness has paralyzed our movement.

Our leaders have given notice to future candidates that we will support them even if they have no track record as an ally, and even if they choose not to recognize our existence on the campaign trail. Whisper your support for us in our ears, and we will shout our devotion to you.

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