11/09/18, Vol. 9 Issue 19

What is BIKTARVY®?

BIKTARVY is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in adults.

It can either be used in people who have never taken HIV-1 medicines before, or people who are replacing their current HIV-1 medicines and whose healthcare provider determines they meet certain requirements.

BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. HIV-1 is the virus that causes AIDS.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION What is the most important information I should know about BIKTARVY? BIKTARVY may cause serious side effects: } Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. If you have both HIV-1 and HBV and stop taking BIKTARVY, your HBV may suddenly get worse. Do not stop taking BIKTARVY without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to monitor your health.

Who should not take BIKTARVY? Do not take BIKTARVY if you take: } dofetilide } rifampin } any other medicines to treat HIV-1

What are the other possible side effects of BIKTARVY? Serious side effects of BIKTARVY may also include: } Changes in your immune system. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new symptoms after you start taking BIKTARVY. } Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys. If you develop new or worse kidney problems, they may tell you to stop taking BIKTARVY. } Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death.

Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat. } Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain.

The most common side effects of BIKTARVY in clinical studies were diarrhea (6%), nausea (5%), and headache (5%). Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that bother you or don’t go away.

What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking BIKTARVY? } All your health problems. Be sure to tell your healthcare provider if you have or have had any kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis virus infection. } All the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, antacids, laxatives, vitamins, and herbal supplements. BIKTARVY and other medicines may affect each other. Keep a list of all your medicines and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist, and ask if it is safe to take BIKTARVY with all of your other medicines. } If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if BIKTARVY can harm your unborn baby.

Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking BIKTARVY. } If you are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. HIV-1 can be passed to the baby in breast milk.

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

Ask your healthcare provider if BIKTARVY is right for you.

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

BVYC0048_BIKTARVY_B_10x10-5_GeorgiaVoice_KeepPushing2_r1v1jl.indd 1-2

Get HIV support by downloading a free app at MyDailyCharge.com

KEEP PUSHING.

Because HIV doesn’t change who you are.

BIKTARVY is a 1-pill, once-a-day complete HIV-1 treatment for adults who are either new to treatment or whose healthcare provider determines they can replace their current HIV-1 medicines with BIKTARVY.

BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS.

BIKTARVY.COM

9/5/18 11:46 AM

IMPORTANT FACTS

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

(bik-TAR-vee) MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT BIKTARVY

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF BIKTARVY

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

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

• Changes in your immune system.

• New or worse kidney problems, including kidney failure.

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

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

• The most common side effects of BIKTARVY in clinical studies were diarrhea (6%), nausea (5%), and headache (5%).

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

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

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

BEFORE TAKING BIKTARVY Tell your healthcare provider all your medical conditions, including if you: • Have or have had any kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis infection.

• Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

• Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed if you have HIV-1 because of the risk of passing HIV-1 to your baby.

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

• Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about medicines that interact with BIKTARVY.

HOW TO TAKE BIKTARVY Take BIKTARVY 1 time each day with or without food.

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

• Go to BIKTARVY.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5.

• If you need help paying for your medicine, visit BIKTARVY.com for program information.

BIKTARVY, the BIKTARVY Logo, DAILY CHARGE, the DAILY CHARGE Logo, KEEP PUSHING, LOVE WHAT’S INSIDE, GILEAD, and the GILEAD Logo are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies.

Version date: February 2018 © 2018 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. BVYC0048 07/18

BVYC0048_BIKTARVY_B_10x10-5_GeorgiaVoice_KeepPushing2_r1v1jl.indd 3

9/5/18 11:46 AM

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

PO Box 77401 • Atlanta, GA 30357 P: 404-815-6941; F: 404-963-6365

EDITORIAL

Editor: Berlin Sylvestre bsylvestre@thegavoice.com Editorial Contributors: Cliff Bostock, Melissa Carter, Joshua Davidson, Aidan Ivory Edwards, Jim Farmer, Morgan Nicole Fletcher, Cemberli Grant, Elizabeth Hazzard, Ryan Lee, Emerald Lingerfelt, Patrick Price, Jamie Roberts, Catharine Romero, Dionne Walker

PRODUCTION

Art Director: Rob Boeger rboeger@thegavoice.com

ONLINE

Digital Content Senior Staffer: Katie Burkholder kburkholder@thegavoice.com

BUSINESS

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

SALES

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

FINE PRINT

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

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

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

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

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

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

To submit a letter or commentary: Letters should be fewer than 400 words and commentary, for web or print, should be fewer than 750 words. Submissions may be edited for content and length, and must include a name, address, and phone number for verification. Email submissions to editor@thegavoice.com or mail to the address above.

Join us online: facebook.com/thegavoice twitter.com/thegavoice instagram.com/thegeorgiavoice youtube.com/user/GAVoice

www.thegeorgiavoice.com

Do Guys Like Candles? … AND OTHER PROBLEMS I HAVE GIVING GIFTS. Berlin Sylvestre When it comes to gift-giving I’m arguably among the worst. Hell, I don’t even know if it’s arguable. My version of Christmas presents goes like this: “Hey, y’all. In lieu of gift-giving, I’ll pay my bills for this month and pretend it was all y’all chippin’ in. Everyone here, feel free to do the same and pretend we just got one of the most pragmatic gifts one could get.

Each and every time you flip a light switch, run a bath, or use the WiFi, be reminded of your wonderful (and definitely not cheap) friends. Happy Holidays and thanks for the monthly pet medicine!”

Because c’mon: Do I really have the patience to wade through an “in real life” Amazon.com (which used to be called stores, but it may have changed — it’s been awhile) and go, “Taylor

isn’t a candle guy, is he? Do guys like candles?

Have I ever seen one in his apartment? I feel like I might have, which means he doesn’t need one, right? Or does it mean he may be starting a collection to which I could contribute? This is rather silly. I probably shouldn’t get a candle.

Or maybe I should, to jumpstart something he might really enjoy once he gets going? Am I overthinking this? I gotta think about that a little later, as I’m busy thinking about Taylor’s maybe or maybe not candle problem at the moment.” And only another moment later, my squeaking cart turns into the bathmat aisle in which I ponder the nature of what my friend’s wet feet like stepping onto. Does Emily prefer the super-soft shag-style rug? How big is her bathroom? What if her husband hates the color? Wait: Would it even match their bathroom? I’ve never used the master. Okay, wait again: Is a bathmat a Christmas present?

So the squeaky cart, empty as I’d found it, gets put away — as do any of my ambitions as a gift-giver. In truth, I was always the kid at Christmas who didn’t care to peek at the meager offerings under our plastic, foottall tree. Even worse was getting gifts from obviously monied people who would show up in charity to stare at me, embarrassed as all get-out as I opened something that was more Barbie than the remote-controlled truck I’d quietly lusted over during commercials. I kinda feel like I might do that to someone.

“It’s the thought that counts.” Psshyeah. But when I leave and they end up regifting or Goodwilling that amazing garlic press, the thought winds up just another pointless pinch from my wallet.

So it’s not so much that I’m “bah humbug” or anything. I just want you to have what you want. We’re adults now. Let’s just pay our bills. (Also: Is a bathmat a gift? Asking for a friend.)

November 9, 2018 Editorial 5

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT (…BECAUSE SOME PEOPLE TAKE A DIGITAL DETOX.) We understand you need an info break. Or maybe you were just in the mountains. Either way, Georgia Voice has you covered. Here’s a selection of recent story snippets you might have missed. Find the rest of them and more at TheGaVoice.com, or like us on Facebook for all the latest in local and national news that affects our community.

ATL REALITY SHOW TO FEATURE FIRST GAY COUPLE Katie Burkholder

Reality show “Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta” will feature its first gay male couple as regular castmembers, reported The Blast. Atlanta natives Prince Carter and Zachary Jones have signed on for the upcoming season of the show. Carter is considered one of the top socialites in Atlanta and Jones is a model who regularly works with online fashion brand Fashion Nova. The couple expressed what life is like as gay black men living in Atlanta in an interview with the Georgia Voice.

“Life as black men is extremely challenging in America today,” the couple said. “To add the word ‘gay’ presents additional challenges.”

“Atlanta is the new Hollywood,” they continued. “There is so much opportunity here. This city embraces everyone, black, white, gay, or straight.”

The two men got emotional when talking about the struggles of being gay men, even while living in a city as progressive as Atlanta. “It’s very unfortunate that we must continue to fight for our place in this world,” they said. “We are fighting just to be seen as real human beings. It’s a really sad thing.”

STUDENTS RESPOND TO ANTI-LGBTQ EVENT WITH RAINBOWS HOUSE DEMS URGE TRUMP ADMIN TO DROP ANTI-TRANS PLAN Michael Key

In the wake of an explosive media report in the New York Times indicating the Trump administration is preparing a proposal to define transgender people out of existence, a group of 98 House Democrats led by Rep. Joseph Kennedy III (D-Mass.) are speaking out to urge the Department of Health & Human Services not to implement the proposal.

In a letter to Secretary of Health & Human Services Alex Azar dated Nov. 2 and obtained by the Washington Blade, House Democrats say the reported plan — which would interpret definition of “sex” under federal non-discrimination laws to exclude transgender people — would amount to “abandoning their right to equal access to healthcare, housing, education, and fair treatment under the law.”

“Adoption of this cruel and unscientific definition of sex would undermine enforcement of civil rights for millions, and we implore you to stop any attempt by extremists within the Department of Health & Human Services to infringe upon the dignity, rights and lives of transgender people,” the letter says.

6 News November 9, 2018

Mary Magual

“Rainbow Friday,” an event organized by the Polish Campaign Against Homophobia Network, was set to take place on Oct. 26th. The celebration of LGBTQ identity would have promoted cultural acceptance in a conservative political climate, encouraging students in Polish schools to show their support for the LGBTQ community and bring LGBTQ groups into schools to spread education and discussion.

However, facing pressure and intimidation from government officials, many schools in Poland were forced to cancel the event. The country’s education minister, Anna Zalewska, told school administrators ahead of the date that principals who allowed the event to proceed would face negative repercussions.

The Associated Press reported that Zalewska also tasked parents with alerting the authorities of any schools that failed to comply.

In spite of the warnings, some students still dressed for the occasion. Gay Star News published a story tweets from students who participated, marked with the hashtag #teczowypiatek (aka #rainbowfriday).

TRANS FLAG UNFURLED AT LINCOLN MEMORIAL Michael Key

Supporters of the National Center for Transgender Equality unfurled a 21,000-ft. transgender Pride flag at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on Monday to “raise awareness of the efforts of the Trump administration to erase the right of 1.4 million transgender adults to jobs, healthcare, education, and housing,” the group said in a statement.

www.thegeorgiavoice.com

CELEBRATE THE SEASON WITH US! VOICES OF NOTE presents

VOICES OF NOTE presents

HOLLY,

JOLLY and

Holidays

Together DONALD MILTON III, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR • 2018 — 2019 SEASON

DR. M ELISSA A RA SI, A RTIS T IC D IR EC T O R • 2 0 1 8 — 2 0 1 9 S EAS O N

DECEMBER 7 & 8

DECEMBER 13 & 16

FRI

8 pm

SAT

1 pm

SAT

6 pm

12.13

7:30 pm

12.16

3 pm

T H E C AT H E D R A L O F S T P H I L I P • T I C K E T S S TA RT AT $ 3 0

G R A C E U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T C H U R C H • T I C K E T S S TA R T AT $ 2 5

T I C K E T S A N D M O R E AT: A G M C H O R U S . O R G

T I C K E T S A N D M O R E AT: AW C H O R U S . O R G

Tickets and more at www.voicesofnote.org Season subscriptions can be purchased at www.voicesofnote.org or by calling (404) 320-1030

Sponsored By:

Funding for this program is provided by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners and is supported in part by the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.

NEWS

National Trans Health Conference in ATL Next Weekend They need to “know that they’re Patrick Price

In the midst of the battle for equal rights for the transgender community, individuals are standing up one by one, declaring better healthcare, benefits, and humane treatment for all across the community. They and their allies will all converge in Atlanta at this year’s National Trans Health Conference from Nov. 8–10 putting an emphasis on the theme “Transgender Wholeness: Mind | Body | Spirit.”

“Whether you’re a front desk receptionist, police officer, therapist, case manager, social worker, nurse or a primary care provider, this conference is for you,” said founder and CEO of Someone Cares, Inc., Ronnie Bass.

He knows what it takes to help transgender individuals live their most authentic lives. For the past 22 years, his non-profit organization has served more than 80,000 individuals — including those in the trans community — stay proactive with their physical health. At this year’s conference, however, an emphasis on mental and spiritual health will give even more depth to the journey transgender individuals undertake in their lives.

not alone and there’s a lot of people out there suffering.

They’re suffering because of how our society and culture is treating them.

”

In her experience as a healthcare professional, she’s witnessed many hurdles transgender patients are faced with, including discriminatory medicaloffice environments, financial instability, and even geographical location barriers, according to national statistics.

Speakers from around the country will dive deep into educational topics including trans youth, spirituality, HIV criminalization, PrEP, holistic care, and pre- and post-reassignment surgery. Clinical sexologist and psychotherapist Kristie Overstreet joins the conference for the first time as a keynote speaker, discussing Transgender Healthcare in Action.

For example, the Center for American Progress reports that 33 percent of patients delayed seeking preventative care because of mistreatment within the healthcare system; Fenway Health asserted that one in five transgender people were turned away from their healthcare provider; the National Center for Transgender Equality stated that transgender and gender non-conforming individuals were three times more likely to travel more than 50 miles for transgender-competent care.

“It’s all about the issues, barriers, and fears that transgender individuals face when they’re seeking healthcare,” she said. “I’ll also get to talk to providers and any healthcare givers in the audience to learn best practices, how you set up an inclusive practice, and how you work best with the transgender individual.”

“They need to know that they’re not alone and there’s a lot of people out there suffering,” said Overstreet. “They’re suffering because of how our society and culture is treating them.” Recently, through a memo released by the Department of Health and Human Services, officials considered narrowly

8 News November 9, 2018

SOMEONE CARES, INC. PHOTO VIA FACEBOOK

2018 NATIONAL TRANS HEALTH CONFERENCE Hilton Atlanta Airport 1031 Virginia Avenue Atlanta, GA 30354 November 8–10, 2018 defining gender as a biological, immutable condition determined by genitalia at birth.

It sparked outrage across the country with the transgender community and trans allies standing up to the current administration stating, “Trans people will not be erased.”

Overstreet says conferences like this one are what binds the trans community and its allies even closer together even during such a tumultuous political climate. “We are advocates, we are allies, we speak out, we support, and we will do everything in our power to make sure that doesn’t happen,” she said.

The multiple aspects of a transgender individual’s life, as emphasized in this year’s conference theme, allows speakers from across the country to converge and provide a better understanding of the transgender journey. Overstreet knows it’s about many different areas of development during an individual’s transition.

“It’s the integration. Someone’s identity and awareness of who they are is only one part of their whole self, and transgender individuals work hard enough to find out their true [selves] and then be able to integrate the emotional, physical, intellectual, spiritual, and sexual selves as a whole person,” she said.

Dr. Jason Schneider works at Emory School of Medicine and specializes in LGBT Health.

He’ll bring another angle of healthcare to the table, one encompassing spiritual health and beyond: holistic health.

“Trans people are human like the rest of us,” said Dr. Schneider. “They struggle and persevere as it relates to health in a holistic sense just like anybody else. We have to think about spirituality, we have to think about support systems, including family and religious institutions to support transidentified people through their transitions.”

He’s part of a conference that was created to give the community a place to meet, discuss differing perspectives, and learn a new approach to connecting the trans community within as well as with allies around the country.

It’s doing just that. Because of this conference, medical professionals have a way to improve healthcare for transgender individuals, allowing them to transition seamlessly into a new life truly meant for them. The end goal is a world where fear doesn’t dictate whether appropriate medical care is given and it starts with knowledge, understanding, and power.

“You get that dialogue, you get the ideas, and you learn about other resources that are out there, right here in Georgia and also beyond,” Overstreet said. “That’s what’s so great about having so many of us coming outside of Georgia to bring in our resources, best tips, and practices to the attendees.”

To register for the 2018 National Trans Health Conference, go to S1CATL.org or call their headquarters at 678-921-2706. www.thegeorgiavoice.com

ASK THE DOCTOR

HIV Treatment , Substance Abuse What is the role of peer support in an HIV treatment and prevention setting?

Peers are everywhere, constantly providing guidance and comfort to those who are in situations they have been through themselves.

This can happen anytime and anywhere. For Certified Peer Specialists (CPSs) and peer educators who work in a clinical setting, the focus shifts to mental health/substance use and prevention, but the training and principles can be applied to HIV. Mental health, substance abuse and addiction, and HIV diagnoses all come with similar challenges regarding stigma and self-image — challenges that a peer has had experience facing. Indeed, individuals living with HIV may also have a mental health/substance use diagnosis, as well. Even one of these diagnoses can be overwhelming, but when they are combined, the results can be debilitating.

How can substance abuse affect HIV in a community?

There are two sides to this question. For those who are HIV-negative, the use of substances can increase the risk of contracting HIV through high-risk sexual behavior and shared needle use. Educating these individuals about HIV and how it is spread may help them make decisions that reduce their risk, such as condom use. Addressing substance abuse through counseling and peer support can help individuals avoid high-risk behavior altogether.

Referral to PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) services can greatly reduce their likelihood of becoming infected, but should be used in conjunction with education and counseling to help reduce the risk of contracting other STIs.

Peer educators and CPSs are in a unique position to help clients understand those challenges, with the added ability to remove barriers other providers might experience, such as, “You’ve never been where I’ve been, how can you possibly understand?” They can address issues like HIV prevention through risk reduction, goal setting, self-advocacy and reliance, crisis prevention, and intervention planning, as well as listen with an understanding that their experience affords them. This relatability can pave the way to more frank discussion, fostering a trusting relationship that will help combat stigma and negative self-image and talk, which is an important step in recovery.

Individuals already living with HIV can harm themselves by forgetting to take their medications or make their doctor visits while under the influence. This can lead to AIDS and opportunistic infections, as well as possible resistance to medication. It can also make them more likely to infect others, a possibility compounded by the same highrisk behaviors listed above, not to mention the negative effects drugs have on the body and immune system. Counseling and education are necessary to address substance use and to stress the importance of taking HIV meds consistently. Doing so can help lower infection rates by reducing the amount of virus in a community and helping people make better decisions to lower their risk to themselves and others.

Jonathan L.B. Spuhler, CPS AbsoluteCARE Medical Center & Pharmacy

Jonathan L.B. Spuhler, CPS AbsoluteCARE Medical Center & Pharmacy

Ask The Doctor is a monthly health column where the experts at AbsoluteCARE answer your pressing medical questions. Have a question you want answered? Email it to askthedoctor@thegavoice.com!

10 Health November 9, 2018

www.thegeorgiavoice.com

LIKE ALWAYS

LIKE NEVER BEFORE 404.873.2664

BOYNEXTDOORMENSWEAR.COM

STORAGE SPECIALS •Free Truck Rental with Move-In •12 Month Price Guarantee •24-Hour Access •Heated & Cooled Units •Security System •Clean, Well-Lit Facility •Loading Dock 726 Ponce de Leon PL NE Atlanta, GA, 30306

404-913-8977

1447 PIEDMONT AVE NE, ATLANTA, GA

We sell boxes & packing supplies!

1 Month Free First Month Free

New Customers. Select Units. Expires 6/30/2019

25% Off

Boxes & Packing Supplies www.morningstarstorage.com

www.thegeorgiavoice.com

Offer Never Expires.

November 9, 2018 Ads 11

november

1 8 15 29 •

•

•

december

6 13 20 •

& KID SE CRAFT

SQ/FT BOUTIQUE KAR MA

FI

ZZ

CK

T

RO

! t s r i f shop

TREE HO U

E

•

threads + shoes

Enjoy seasonal shopportunities, refreshments, special deals, and extended hours at participating shops.

DO

stYLIsh FraMes aLL that sParKLes QuIrKY GIFts + ChIC déCor

G DOG GY G

haNdCraFted Goods + art CraFtY toYs + PLaYFuL CraFts

details

GET WILD OATS & BILLY GOATS KISMET FINE JEWELRY

VISITORS CENTER 113 Clairemont Ave., Decatur 30030 | visitdecaturga.com

! e n i d n . . . the

THE

Find ac list o omplete fp ,u visitd articipati p-to-dat n e ecat urge g shops a orgia terri t ficth ursd .com/ ays.

Sweet and savory deals at Decatur restaurants, too!

haNdCraFted eats LoCaL FaVe Fare

LLOW MUSHR OO ME M

FoodIe FINds + aLL the sWeets

CreatIVe CoMFort CuIsINe BUTTER & CREAM

This ad funded by proceeds from the Decatur Craft Beer Festival.

Decatur-ga-gift-guide-110818.indd 1

11/5/18 5:00 PM

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

Holiday Must-Haves

Wrapping from Rifle Paper Company

$11 at The Merchant These bright colors and adorable patterns are just begging to be torn to shreds, and they’re guaranteed to make someone smile, even if the gift itself is an utter flop.

Frida Kahlo Ornament

by Cody Foster and Co.

$21 at The Merchant I don’t care who you are or what you celebrate, but I can tell you right now that your holiday decorating scheme needs more Frida.

Magnolia Wreaths Snarky Coasters from Ephemera

$6 at SQ/FT in Decatur Lighten up your stressful family holiday celebrations with some sass. Your eye-rolling cousins will thank you. www.thegeorgiavoice.com

$110 at TWELVE Boutique and Flowers in Paris on Ponce Evergreen wreaths are overdone.

Plus, they die. Buy a wreath made of magnolias. They’ll last for multiple holiday seasons, and you’ll look like a trendsetter. Well done, you!

Sapling Press Napkin Set

$10 at SQ/FT in Decatur If your holiday party guests happen to be antisocial introverts, let them know that you’re with them in spirit when they’re drinking eggnog in the corner by themselves.

November 9, 2018 Holiday Gift Guide 15

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

For the Femme Floral Keds

$68–$90 at The Merchant If winter gloom bums out your lovely lady, buy her these happy shoes to remind her that spring will soon return.

Sassy Clutch

$14 at Brushstrokes The perfect clutch for the innumberable things that get lost in the bottom of your purse. Made of 100% cotton canvas with zipper closure.

Retro Style

Prices vary at Trashy Diva Give the gift of iconic style this holiday season. Choose from handmade jewelry, vintagestyle fasteners, or shoes that look like they belong in the costume department of “Mad Men.”

Bitch Planet, Volume 2: President Bitch

$15 at Criminal Records Give the gift of intersectional feminist solidarity this holiday season with Kelly Sue DeConnick’s insightful brainchild.

And if the lady in your life isn’t familiar with the series, buy her both volumes!

Nouvelles Tote Bag

$20 at Brushstrokes For the lady in your life who loves music, this bag is a must. It’s a 100% natural canvas bag.

WHERE TO PURCHASE Brushstrokes

1510-D Piedmont Avenue NE Atlanta, GA 30824 404-876-6567

Clothing Warehouse 420 Moreland Avenue NE Atlanta, GA 30307 404-524-5070

Criminal Records

1154 Euclid Avenue NE A Atlanta, GA 30307 404-215-9511

Sex Magic (Trashy Diva, again.)

Prices vary.

I know, I know. I already talked about this particular establishment, but admit it: You spend your life wasting away in traffic jams on Highland Avenue, and every afternoon, you find yourself staring wistfully at Trashy Diva, wondering what’s inside. Their jaw-dropping selection of lingerie is available in sizes A-I and new styles arrive each week, so you’ll be able to do something new all January long.

The Merchant

99 Krog Street NE A Atlanta, GA 30307 404-331-1200

Cowboy Boots

$60–100 at Clothing Warehouse Cowboy boots are my favorite power move. They make loud echoes in empty hallways and they make me feel cool. Give your gal the perfect footwear for kicking the patriarchy’s butt.

16 Holiday Gift Guide November 9, 2018

Trashy Diva

675 North Highland Avenue Northeast #2000 Atlanta, GA 30306 678-515-7578 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

For the Masc Oxford Lads Denim Embroidery Button Up

$110 at Boy Next Door Looking to add a little flair to your guy’s button-down collection? Look no further than this new and exciting denim embroidered shirt.

Mad Style Men’s High-Top Rain Boots

Nasty Pig Tactical Pant

$159 at Boy Next Door Military-style, custom nylon twill zipper tactical pants, perfect for when you’re cast in “The Walking Dead.” The zippers run their way from one thigh up, around the butt, and down the other thigh.

French Connection

$44 at Boy Next Door An embroidered tennis shoe is showcased across the chest of this fashion crew-neck, cotton tee.

Olaf Benz Red 1814 T-shirt Red

$65 at Boy Next Door The soft sheen shirt can be dressed up or down. It’s a unique, elegant cut that is the perfect treat for every occasion.

$36 at Brushstrokes These cool and sleek rain boots are the great gift for the man in your life to take on those rainy Georgia days.

Then again, they are so cool who needs rain to step out in these boots!

They come in two colors: black and army green.

WHERE TO PURCHASE Brushstrokes

1510-D Piedmont Avenue NE Atlanta, GA 30824 404-876-6567

Boy Next Door Menswear

1447 Piedmont Ave NE Atlanta, GA 30309 404-873-2664

Nasty Pig (Army of Lovers Tee)

$49 at Boy Next Door This T-shirt features the company’s friends, Bobby and Gary. The two men fought cancer together and won the battle. Proceeds from the profits of the sale of this tee will go to their charity of choice, National LGBT Cancer Network. www.thegeorgiavoice.com

Socks

$10–$25 at SQ/FT in Decatur I know what you’re thinking: socks? Really?! But if your loved ones are anything like me, then they always buy the cheapest possible socks at Wal-Mart and the only nice socks they own are the festive pairs that some lovable genius put in their stocking last year.

SQ/FT

149 Sycamore Street Decatur, GA 30030 404-373-6607678-515-7578

November 9, 2018 Holiday Gift Guide 17

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

Tech Whizzes USB Rechargeable AA Batteries (2 Pack)

Monster SuperStar BackFloat Speaker Starting at $147 at Amazon.com

Starting at $9.99 at Amazon.com

You’re not afraid of being who you are, while exemplifying your taste in great music. Now you can do it with this floating bluetooth speaker and speakerphone. Experience epic sound, even as this portable speaker floats in the pool, lake, or tub.

Fujifilm Instax Square SQ10 Hybrid Instant Camera $179.80 at Amazon.com

Express your creativity in an instant with stunning direct prints from the new Hybrid Instax Square SQ10. This camera lets you capture those ’once in a lifetime’ memories and moments beautifully, in a stylish square format.

18 Holiday Gift Guide November 9, 2018

USB rechargeable batteries save you hundreds of dollars and are so easy to use and recharge. Just plug in any USB port and have a fully charged AA battery in less than a few hours.

WonderWoof BowTie Activity Monitor $11–17 at Amazon.com

WonderWoof, a stylish and fun dog activity monitor that connects to your mobile phone, helps you develop healthy habits to make sure your dog gets enough exercise and social interaction so they live a healthier, longer, and happier life.

PhoneSoap 3 UV Cell Phone Sanitizer & Dual Universal Cell Phone Charger $59.95 at Amazon.com

You take your smartphone with you everywhere you go. All the bacteria you touch throughout the day, from grocery carts to doorknobs, are transferred and stored onto the device you use the most. PhoneSoap’s UV-C light technology kills 99.99% of harmful bacteria and keeps your phone charged all at the same time.

iLintek Smart LED Light Bulb $25.99 at Amazon.com

Control your lighting on your smartphone or tablet or bluetooth remote control (sold separately). www.thegeorgiavoice.com

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

House and Home Quotable Mugs

$11 at Gift Card Boutique The right mug for the coffee or tea drinker. Find the right quote and style to add to their mug collection. Mugs are 14 oz. with a ceramic matte finish.

The Ever-Pragmatic Dish Towel

$3.99 and up at Ace Midtown Your mother had them. Your grandmother had them. Looking for easy-peasy stocking stuffers or office party gifts?

The venerable dish towel fits the bill.

Prints from Rep Your Hood

$18–$50 at HomeGrown (Decatur) Your home is longing for simple, beautiful renderings of your favorite Atlanta neighborhoods.

Kikkerland Retro Alarm Clock

$14.50 at Gift Card Boutique Vintage inspired battery operated alarm clock. Ivory face with glow-in-the -dark hands. Top button shuts off the alarm. Uses 2AA batteries. Batteries are not included.

“Infinity Net: The Autobiography of Yayoi Kusama”

$19.95 at The High Museum Gift Shop Get pumped up for Kusama’s upcoming exhibition at The High, or comfort yourself if you failed to procure tickets.

Cast Iron Pots and Pans

$14.99 and up at Ace Midtown Your lover is a native of South Georgia, and refuses to cook on anything but cast iron. Well, Ace Midtown’s got the Animal Pillows griddle, baking pan, Dutch oven, etc. $24 at SQ/FT in Decatur of their dreams.

All cuteness, all cuddles. Pet hair not included.

20 Holiday Gift Guide November 9, 2018

Vintage Steel Cabinets

$175 at Kaboodle Does your significant other have a jones for restoration of vintage steel cabinets? Kaboodle’s got them on lock. www.thegeorgiavoice.com

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

House and Home Paddywax Mixology Candle Collection

$15 at Gift Card Boutique The soy wax candle inspired by the craft cocktail movement. Fragrances include: Sazerac (whiskey lemon); Old Fashioned (Whiskey Orange); Negroni (Gin & Vermouth); French Gimlet (Elderflower grapefruit) and Mint Julep (Mint Bourbon). The candles are poured in a collectible glass with a retroinspired design and a cocktail recipe on the back of the package.

WHERE TO PURCHASE

Vintage Lounger

$119 at Kaboodle Zing! This chair could have escaped from Pee-Wee’s Playhouse. Perfect for lounging in your smoking jacket and reading the paper in style.

Ace Midtown

Twisted Wares Dishtowels

860 Juniper Street NE Atlanta, GA 30308 404-228-2291

$16 at SQ/FT in Decatur Everyone needs a few sassy dish towels to make their kitchen tasks more enjoyable.

Gift Card Boutique

1510-A Piedmont Avenue NE Atlanta, GA 30824 404-876-6567

The High Museum Gift Shop

1280 W. Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta, GA 30309 404-733-4814

HomeGrown Decatur 412 Church Street Decatur, GA 30030 404-373-1147

Kaboodle

485 Flat Shoals Avenue Suite B Atlanta, GA 30316 404-522-3006

Art Deco Wardrobe

$149 at Kaboodle There’s no lyin’ which wardrobe stands out at Kaboodle. This cedar number with Art Deco flourishes fits right in your bungalow boudoir. www.thegeorgiavoice.com

Old-School Score Board

SQ/FT

$1000 at Kaboodle Got some surplus wall space in your warehouse loft? Always know who’s up by what with this authentic illuminating display with xlr connection.

149 Sycamore Street Decatur, GA 30030 404-373-6607

November 9, 2018 Holiday Gift Guide 21

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

Anything Goes Outdoor Headwear for Sunny Days

$34.99 and up at Ace Midtown Does your sweetie spend a lot of time in the garden?

Do you worry they’re slowing developing melanoma?

Or do you just want them to look jaunty when you’re out in the park?

Cover their craniums with these cutesy hats.

Inga & Evija Card Wallets $22.99 at Boy Next Door These are locally owned, upcycled, repurposed, handcrafted wallets.

They’re unique gift items fit for any orientation.

Odd Sox Knit Socks

$14.99 at Gift Card Boutique The sporty friends in the bunch will also these stylish knit socks. The Orange Crush tube socks feature double layered cotton bottom cushioning. They also have a thickened toe and heel and are sure to feel comfortable.

WHERE TO PURCHASE Ace Midtown

860 Juniper Street NE Atlanta, GA 30308 404-228-2291

Boy Next Door Menswear

Blue Q Socks

Cafe Bohne Flat Cap

$55 at Boy Next Door This unique cap is only sold at Boy Next Door. It’s upcycled headwear from Berlin, and it’s made of recycled coffee bean bags.

22 Holiday Gift Guide November 9, 2018

$11 at Brushstrokes For the friend who likes to make a statement with their socks. The Blue Q socks will provide just the pizzazz to any wardrobe. Unisex styles.

These socks are woven with cotton for softness, nylon for strength, and a touch of spandex to help them last.

Also, buy these snazzy socks and you’ll be donating to a worthy cause — 1% of the sales of the socks support Doctors Without Borders.

1447 Piedmont Ave NE Atlanta, GA 30309 404-873-2664

Brushstrokes

1510-D Piedmont Avenue NE Atlanta, GA 30824 404-876-6567

Gift Card Boutique

1510-A Piedmont Avenue NE Atlanta, GA 30824 404-876-6567

www.thegeorgiavoice.com

T

E

L

L

U

S

S

C

I

E

N

C

E

M

U

BECAUSE SCIENCE M AT TERS! I-75 EXIT 293

100 TELLUS DRIVE CARTERSVILLE GEORGIA 30120

770-606-5700

tellusmuseum.org #tellusmuseum

tellusmuseum.org/membership

S

E

U

M

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

For the Bejeweled

Vintage Mickey Watches Jewelry from Peachtree Lane

$10–$21 at HomeGrown (Decatur) If minimalist bling is more your style, Peachtree Lane’s simple, elegant designs have you covered.

Spacewaste Pins

$175 at Worthmore Jewelers This Nixon Sentry Level Watch screams class with sass. Featuring a vintage Mickey (think Steamboat Willie days), this is a 42mm set piece for your arm.

Prices vary at Paris on Ponce I have never seen so many snarky enamel pins in one place. If you can’t find one that suits your loved one, then there might be something wrong with that particular loved one …

WHERE TO PURCHASE Gift Card Boutique

1510-A Piedmont Avenue NE Atlanta, GA 30824 404-876-6567

HomeGrown Decatur 412 Church Street Decatur, GA 30030 404-373-1147

Paris on Ponce

716 Ponce De Leon Place NE Atlanta, GA 30306 404-249-9965

SQ/FT

149 Sycamore Street Decatur, GA 30030 404-373-6607

Bico ID

$32 at Gift Card Boutique A necklace that “holds the key to your soul, makes sure it stays intact.” Bico ID jewelry design is inspired by the images of freedom in urban youth and their tribal instincts, and is sure to be a go-to accessory.

26 Holiday Gift Guide November 9, 2018

Earrings from Foxy Hipster

$10 at SQ/FT in Decatur I can guarantee that someone in your life needs to have Ryan Gosling or the cast of “Friends” in their earlobes.

Worthmore Jewelers 500 Amsterdam Avenue NE Atlanta, GA 30306 404-892-8294

www.thegeorgiavoice.com

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

Fawned-Over Furbaby

WHERE TO PURCHASE Furry Tails Pet Shop

228 E. Ponce de Leon Avenue Decatur, GA 30030 404-205-5049

SQ/FT

149 Sycamore Street Decatur, GA 30030 404-373-6607

Canvas Dog Toys

$14 at SQ/FT in Decatur I don’t even own a dog, but something inside of me wants a brightly colored pizza slice for my own home.

28 Holiday Gift Guide November 9, 2018

Collars from Angel Pet Supplies

$60–$105 at Furry Tails Petshop in Decatur I was extremely tempted to buy the tattoo-inspired collar for myself.

Tags from About Face Designs

$3.50 at SQ/FT in Decatur Put a snarky tag on your pet. I promise they won’t know that you’re sort of making fun of them.

www.thegeorgiavoice.com

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

Terrific Tykes Pete the Cat Knickknacks “Baby Feminists”

$9.99 at Charis Books & More You are a feminist. You love babies and “lift the flap” books. How about this children’s book of famous feminists as babies?

“I Hate My Cats” Jellycat Stuffed Octopus

$55 at The Merchant Finally! A stuffed octopus that’s devastatingly cute and incredibly soft! I could wrap myself up in those tentacles all night long.

$15–$25 at HomeGrown (Decatur) I can’t explain our obsession with Pete the Cat, but there’s something about his nihilistic half-smile that makes me want to jump on board.

WHERE TO PURCHASE Challenges Games and Comics

North Dekalb Mall 2050 Lawrenceville Highway #A-18 Decatur, GA 30033 678-973-0410

$25 at Posman Books at Ponce City Market Ever come home to your cats to find that they broke an antique snow globe, they started and put out a fire, and one of them coughed up a hairball on your pillow? You can’t stand them, but you love them. Here’s a reminder for a loved one on those difficult days.

Charis Books & More 1189 Euclid Avenue NE Atlanta, GA 30307 404-524-0304

EcoDenizen

Plush Elephant

$25 at EcoDenizen Bro. Larry is so adorable. If the child that you’re giving this to doesn’t like it, they’re wrong and don’t deserve Larry.

(I just named him Larry.)

999 Peachtree Street NE #180, Atlanta, GA 30309 678-705-9880

HomeGrown Decatur 412 Church Street Decatur, GA 30030 404-373-1147

Kaboodle

485 Flat Shoals Avenue Suite B Atlanta, GA 30316 404-522-3006

Mansions of Madness, Second Edition Vintage Clown Painting

$34 at Kaboodle Remember those innocent days of your youth when clowns weren’t creepy homicidal stalkers? Relive those halcyon days with this neon cutie for the nursery. www.thegeorgiavoice.com

Adorable Wall Art

$70–$160 at The Merchant While the concept of putting animal heads on walls has always been beyond me, Fiona Walker’s handmade creations are too adorable to ignore. Buy them even if you aren’t shopping for a child.

The Merchant

$100 at Challenges Games and Comics If your beloved children (or fellow adults) are even remotely interested in nerd culture, get your butt over to Challenges, where you can find any and all tabletop games, miniatures, and gaming paraphernalia.

99 Krog Street NE Suite A Atlanta, GA 30307 404-331-1200

Posman Books

Ponce City Market 675 Ponce De Leon Avenue NE, Atlanta, GA 30308 470-355-9041

November 9, 2018 Holiday Gift Guide 29

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

Perfect Plant Picks Pilea Peperomioides “Chinese Money Plant”

Perfect plant for a friend, as they’re often referred to as the friendship plant because it creates tiny “pups” that are easy to propagate and give away as gifts. They prefer bright, indirect light and for their soil to dry in between waterings.

WHERE TO PURCHASE Pilea ‘Baby Tears’

The perfect plant for someone committed to keeping their leaf baby happy. Soil needs to be kept evenly moist but never soggy.

Satin Pothos or Silver Vine String of Pearls This easy-to-care-for plant requires little attention, bright and indirect light, and water about once a week.

An easy and fascinating houseplant that requires little attention, they prefer bright, indirect light and like their soil to dry out in between waterings.

HRC Tees Make a Statement

All of these plants can be bought from The Victorian Atlanta, a creative plant shop located at Ponce City Market inside Citizen Supply.

“Cheers Queers” Tee

$26 at Shop.

HRC.org/ Clothing/ T-Shirts It’s cute, it’s retro, it rhymes.

Need we say more?

“Everyone” Long Sleeve Tee “Y’all Means All” Tee

$29 at Shop.HRC.org/Clothing/ T-Shirts Give your loved ones the gift of sticking it to the close-minded with this perfect combination of Southern pride and acceptance.

Won’t Be Erased Tee

$30 at Shop.HRC.org/Clothing/ T-Shirts This tee is perfect for trans and nonbinary friends and fam and allied ones alike. Let them show the “Stable Genius” their pride with this timely and stylish T-shirt.

30 Holiday Gift Guide November 9, 2018

Love Shirt

$29 at Shop.HRC.org/Clothing/ T-Shirts Keep it short and sweet. This minimal design is sure to please anyone, regardless of style. And with a whopping eight colors of options, it’s perfect for the whole family.

$32 at Shop.

HRC.org/ Clothing/ T-Shirts Get cozy and correct with this long sleeve shirt. Combats chills from both winter and homophobia. www.thegeorgiavoice.com

Looking for the perfect gift?

BEER

LIQUOR

ATLANTA

ATLANTA

ATHENS

CLEAR

IPA

ALE

IPA

VODKA

TEQUILA

BUCKHEAD

2161 Piedmont Road

WINE

BROWN

RED

WHITE

SPARKLING

BOURBON

PINOT

CHARDONNAY

BRUT

DORAVILLE 5877 Buford Hwy

404-881-0902 770-458-3272 TowerWineSpirits.com

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

For Friends Who Hate the Holidays

Irreverent Flasks

$19.95 at HomeGrown (Decatur) How else are we supposed to endure that one aunt who always asks why we still don’t have a boyfriend, or our grandfather’s rant about how Trump is really the true victim of hatred in America?

“The Te of Piglet”

by Benjamin Hoff

$6 at A Capella Books As the traditional Judeo-Christian holidays draw near, celebrate a totally different set of traditions and teachings with Benjamin Hoff.

Framed Prints by kAt Phibin

$22 at Junkman’s Daughter Recommended for your friends who would replace Christmas with a second Halloween in a heartbeat.

WHERE TO PURCHASE A Capella Books

208 Haralson Avenue NE Atlanta, GA 30307 404-681-5128

HomeGrown Decatur 412 Church Street Decatur, GA 30030 404-373-1147

Junkman’s Daughter

Candles Featuring Quyen Dinh’s Tattoo Art

$20 at Junkman’s Daughter Forget about the traditions of organized religion.

Some of us pray to Johnny Cash and Blanche Devereaux instead.

32 Holiday Gift Guide November 9, 2018

An Anti-Christmas Tree (Okay, so it’s really just a cactus …)

Prices vary at Varnish + Vine in Paris on Ponce For some of us, the holidays feel like a real pain, so why not give Christmas the finger by venerating a cactus instead? Take that, Christmas turmoil!

464 Moreland Avenue NE Atlanta, GA 30307 404-577-3188

Varnish + Vine in Paris on Ponce 716 Ponce de Leon Place NE Atlanta, GA 30306

www.thegeorgiavoice.com

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

Homemade for the Holidays Sugar Scrub

Memory Book

The oldest (and most heartfelt) trick in A gingerbread sugar scrub will the book is a memory book. leave your loved ones’ skin feeling (and smelling) soft, sweet, and spicy. Commemorate the memories with your loved ones the old-fashioned way — Combine 1 cup of brown sugar, with a scrapbook and pictures (I like 1 cup of granulated sugar, 2 tsp to use Kodak printing at CVS) — or cinnamon, 2 tsp ginger, and go more professional with websites 2 tsp of nutmeg. Add mixture into like Shutterfly, Snapfish, or Picaboo.

1 cup of coconut oil, and spoon Add handwritten notes, stickers, and into sealable jar. drawings for some extra flair.

M&M Cookie Dough

Give the gift of homemade cookies without turning on the oven with cookie mix in a jar.

Holiday Fudge

Homemade fudge is the perfect sweet treat — easy to make and delicious for all ages.

Combine 24 oz of white chocolate chips, 14 oz of sweetened condensed milk, and .25 tsp of salt and melt. Stir in extra ingredients. Pour into a pan and spread evenly.

Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Extra ingredients: • 1 tsp peppermint extract + 1 cup crushed candy-cane topping = peppermint fudge • 2–3 tsp ginger + .5–1 tsp nutmeg + .5–1 tsp cinnamon + sprinkles = gingerbread fudge • 1.25 cup sugar-cookie mix + sprinkles = sugar cookie fudge Many thanks to writers Conswella Bennett, Katie Burkholder, Aidan Edwards, Allison Radomski, Jamie Roberts, and Elizabeth Hazzard for their devotion to local shopping and for making this issue a keeper.

34 Holiday Gift Guide November 9, 2018

Combine .75 cup all purpose flour, .5 cup white whole wheat flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, .25 tsp salt, and .5 tsp ground cinnamon. Pack the mixture into the bottom of the jar. Add, in order, 1 cup cooking oats, .5 cup red and green M&Ms, .75 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, .5 cup brown sugar, and .5 cup white sugar.

Slap these instructions to the front of the jar: Add 1 egg, .5 cup unsalted butter, and 1 tsp vanilla.

Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Roll cookie dough into balls and bake at 350° for 10–15 minutes. www.thegeorgiavoice.com

The Carlos Family in Honor of Thalia N. Carlos Presents

Join us for a brand-new, breakthrough production of The Nutcracker Choreographed by Yuri Possokhov with the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra performing Tchaikovsky’s beloved score.

December 8th -24th at the Fox Theatre Visit atlantaballet.com/nutcracker or call 1.855.285.8499 Groups of 10+, email groupsales@atlantaballet.com or call 404.873.5811 x1207.

Sponsors

The Sara Giles Moore Foundation

Costume Sketches by Sandra Woodall

ACTING OUT

The Happy Prince Jim Farmer

When he decided to take on a film about Oscar Wilde, actor Rupert Everett had no idea it would take him 10 long years to get the movie financed, made, and released. The wait was worth it, though — “The Happy Prince” (directed and written by Everett and starring him as Wilde) is landing him some of the best reviews of his career, taking a peek at the final days of the legendary gay playwright.

The idea for the project came at a time when Everett was doing some reflection about his career. “My acting career had sort of dried up and I had been writing books, always with the idea of trying to segue into screenplays,” he said. “I thought I had to take my career into my own hands. I decided I’d write a screenplay and Oscar Wilde was the ideal character, one I could pour a lot of myself into. He is a patron saint figure and he has been woven through my life. I had performed in a few plays by Wilde and in two movies, and everything seemed to direct me in that direction.”

Everett had never thought of directing the movie but over those 10 years, he lost various directors. Eventually, he realized this would be his directorial debut. “I decided — again — I would have to take it into my own hands and direct myself.”

Making the movie was complicated because of the time restrictions and having to cram so much work into each day’s shoot, but he enjoyed it, especially getting to act with the likes of Emily Watson, Tom Wilkinson, and Colin Firth. “If you choose the wrong people, you can never make the movie you want,” he said. “I chose really well and got great actors. I was incredibly supported.”

The actor appeared as Wilde in 2014’s stage version of “Judas Kiss” after five years of not getting any money for the film. “I thought if I could do that play, I could use it as an audition speech to strum up some interest,” he recalled. “That is what happened. We put www.thegeorgiavoice.com

it on in London and that is how I got with BBC and Lionsgate. Everything started at that point.”

He did his due research about Wilde but didn’t make any ground-breaking discoveries. “I had such a strong conviction about him right from the beginning,” Everett said. “Everything I learned confirmed what I thought. I never had any real surprises. This sounds like Shirley MacLaine, but I felt I knew him from the beginning.”

He wanted to show an Oscar Wilde that hadn’t been seen before. “My take on it was going to be quite radically different from all the previous takes we had seen.

The first three films about Wilde treat him reverential, like a household god, with a heroic demeanor. I felt I had a line on him as the last great vagabond of the 19th century, a jailbird, a trickster. I think that is how he was near the end. I thought it was an interesting change. I kept with that notion. I loved the idea that he was penniless and slightly disheveled, with old socks and slightly toothless, like a Quasimodo character.”

Everett feels audiences have been surprised at this new angle. Many people know about Wilde but they don’t know all the details,

he said. “They know the name, that he was a great writer, that he was witty. But they don’t know the inside story of what happened to him and the importance of bridging the two centuries. With him came the debate on homosexuality, which didn’t exist for a while.”

Everett and Firth starred together in the landmark gay film “Another Country,” which the actor admitted he still gets comments about. “So many people come up to me and tell me it was something they took to heart when they were young and determining what path to take,” Everett said. “Colin gets that as well. I am very proud of it.”

He is happy to see a time where gay actors are getting more meaty film work. The next challenge, though, is to prove that gay actors can have the same range as their heterosexual counterparts. “I think things are definitely on the move and there is lots more stuff going on. It’s all very well with straights playing gay parts but it needs to go the other way around as well. I don’t see why everyone thinks it’s easy for Sean Penn to access his inner bottom whereas it’s not possible for a gay person to access their inner heterosexual. ” “The Happy Prince” is now playing at the Midtown Art Cinema, Springs Cinema, and Taphouse.

November 9, 2018 Columnists 37

EATING MY WORDS

The Soup Nazi meets Shakespeare at Melody Chinese Restaurant Cliff Bostock

We plodded back to our table. Once everything arrived, the Soup Nazi from “Seinfeld” interrupted my Shakespearean reverie. I have no idea who he was. Loud, abrupt, and not-so-intentionally funny, he went about the business of directing us how to eat. A couple at a nearby table began laughing hysterically while he cut off every question we tried to ask. I don’t know if he felt he needed to do this because we were virtually the only non-Asians in the restaurant or because we looked as stupid as we are. I love him.

It’s not every day I walk into a Chinese restaurant and immediately remember the opening of Act IV of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth.”

That’s when the three witches begin their famous incantation: “Double, double toil and trouble/Fire burn, and caldron bubble.” They then go on to itemize the bizarre ingredients they throw into the boiling pot.

I’m talking about Hot Melody (5283 Buford Highway). It’s the new Chinese restaurant that’s replaced the iconic Chef Liu, whose soup dumplings were a foodie fetish for five years. Hot Melody has a different classic gimmick: individual-sized “hot pots” of boiling broth into which you throw ingredients for a few minutes. Then you fish the meat and veggies out and anoint them in a sauce you have concocted at the impressively florid sauce bar. On a Friday night, the place was frantically packed.

The countless bubbling hotpots turned the restaurant into a mild steam room with a very strong odor. Toil and trouble, indeed.

I’m not a witch, really, but I had mixed feelings about the place, which has been open a little more than a month. Part of this is my western laziness. I’ve done it a zillion times, but I don’t really enjoy cooking my own meal in a

restaurant (and each table also has a grill to barbecue ingredients, if you prefer). Four of us found the yellow laminated menu absolutely overwhelming and our overworked server was mildly impatient while we reviewed dozens and dozens of meats and veggies after we chose three of the four broths. Two of us ordered the Sichuan-style “spicy numbing butter” broth. Be warned: Even at medium intensity, it was hot enough to completely drain the sinuses. It also tends to overwhelm the taste of all additions to the pot. Two friends ordered the pork bone and surprisingly flavorful mushroom broths.

They were not spicy.

We ordered three meats to share — ribeye, lamb, and pork. A plate of each meat looks like a huge serving, but it’s not. The meat is virtually shaved and curled; it shrinks in the bubbling broth. We ended up ordering another plate. Other ingredients, from wontons to egg noodles to leafy greens to organ meats, are rolled out on a cart. One serving of each is more than enough for two, but not really enough for four. After we ordered, we headed to the sauce bar. This was vast enough to add another level of studied confusion. Eventually, our server streaked over and created a delicious sauce for us.

All of the ingredients for the pot, whose temperature is regulated with a switch in front of every seat, are a la carte. This is unusual and has provoked many complaints on Yelp. At most hot pot restaurants, you pay for the meat but all ingredients are included in the typically lower price. The point is that you can spend a comparatively large amount of money at Melody, but, honestly, its menu is far more diverse than the usual. When I return, it will be on a weeknight when I can hopefully study the menu peacefully without witches providing a cackling soundtrack.

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

38 Columnists November 9, 2018 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

BEST BETS Our Guide to the Best LGBTQ Events in Atlanta for November 9-22 FRIDAY, NOV. 9

The made-in-Atlanta gay film “Boy Erased” with Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, and Russell Crowe opens in the ATL today.

Metro theaters and various showtimes Join MAAP the second Friday of each month for its It’s Friday – Mix, Mingle and Network session. This is your chance to leave the work week behind and connect with other like-minded professionals over drinks, laughter, and good professional conversation.

6–8pm TEN Atlanta Mostly Mutts Animal Rescue is hosting “You’ve Got a Friend,” a musical cabaret written and directed by Chuck Richards. The star of the show is New York jazz and blues singer Lynn Loosier, originally from Georgia. Loosier has been a featured soloist at both Lincoln Center & Jazz at Lincoln Center and has also performed at the Apollo Theater. Along with him, the show will also feature the Robert Strickland Combo and special guests Robert Ray, Shawn Megorden, and Matt Booker. There will also be a silent auction and a wine pull.

7–10 pm Park Tavern This year, both the National Women’s Studies Association Conference and the American Studies Association are taking place in Atlanta this weekend. Come join the Feminist Author and Activist Roundtable and Meet and Greet tonight. Featured authors are Julia “Jules” Balen, Shanya Cordis, Kimberly Dark, Aimi Hamraie, monica teresa ortiz, and more.

7–10pm Charis Books and More Out Front Theatre Company’s version of “The View Upstairs,” a Southeastern premiere, follows the story of Wes, a young fashion designer from 2018, who buys an abandoned building in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Upon entering the space, he finds himself transported to the UpStairs Lounge, a vibrant ’70s gay bar that would later be the subject of foul play.

8pm Running through Nov. 10

40 Best Bets November 9, 2018

FRIDAY, NOV. 9

The made-in-Atlanta gay film “Boy Erased” with Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, and Russell Crowe opens in the ATL today.

Metro theaters and various showtimes One of the biggest productions of its kind ever in Atlanta, Red Bull Music Presents: ATL is Burning Ball will bring Atlanta’s ballroom underground into the spotlight. Half dance party, half ball, the event will see icons and beginners alike walking in over 10 categories, while musicians such as Leikeli47, MikeQ, Cakes da Killa, Byrell the Great, and Leonce keep the crowd moving. Brought to life in partnership with Atlanta collectives Morph and Southern Fried Queer Pride, Red Bull Music Presents: ATL is Burning Ball will be hosted by Precious Ebony and will feature performances by Leiomy Maldonado, Dashaun Wesley, and Koppi Mizrahi.

9pm–4am Georgia Freight Depot

SATURDAY, NOV. 10

Join Angels Rescue for a special holiday performance featuring world-renowned Tenor Gianluca Sciarpelletti who is touted as the next Pavarotti. Following the

concert will be an after party performance at Taiyo restaurant where each concert attendee will receive a complimentary drink.

5–7pm 308 Clairemont Ave, Decatur, GA 30030 Don’t miss the The Work My Soul Was Called to Do: Black Lesbian Activism in the New South roundtable discussion and book launch of “Black.

Southern. Women. An Oral History”

by E. Patrick Johnson tonight, sponsored

by American Studies Association, National Women’s Studies Association and Northwestern University, with a reception to follow.

7:30pm Charis Books and More The world premiere “Reykjavik” continues at Actor’s Express today.

In this tour-de-force collision of sex and danger, playwright Steve Yockey propels

us on a journey in which the supernatural is closer than we think.

8pm Running through Nov. 18 ICON is a celebration of Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj starring Yuhua Hamasaki of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” Season 10. A dance party featuring drag, aerial, dance, burlesque, + more, the night features performances Molly Rimswell, Trevor Blake, Chingonas, Colana Bleu, Thin Mint, JayBella Banks, and Yuhua Hamasaki.

9pm Deep End

SUNDAY, NOV. 11

The Atlanta Opera opens the 201819 mainstage season with a production of Leonard Bernstein’s classic Broadway musical, “West Side Story.” Featuring Vanessa Becerra as Maria and Andrew

CONTINUES ON PAGE 42 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

party with

Help us celebrate 2018 accomplishments and look toward the future of HIV care in Atlanta.

Music, open bar, body painting, silent auction, and 3 course meal by Endive.

Sunday, Dec. 9, 2018 Summerour Studio 409 Bishop St. NW Atlanta, GA 30318

Host Committee/Sponsor Reception: 5:30–6:30 p.m.

Main Event: 7:00 p.m.

BENEFITS

SPONSORS

Tickets: PositiveImpactHealthCenters.org

www.thegeorgiavoice.com

November 9, 2018 Ads 41

BEST BETS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 40 Bidlack as Tony, this production will show that many of the same divisions that separated us in the 1950s remain with us today. Choreographer Julio Monge has resurrected Jerome Robbins’ original choreography for this production, allowing audiences to experience “West Side Story” as it was originally meant to be seen, on a grand scale with classically trained singers and dancers.

3pm Running through today at the Cobb Energy Centre Christina Aguilera brings The Liberation Tour to the Fox Theatre tonight with special guest Big Boi of Outkast.

8pm

MONDAY, NOV. 12

T-Time Atlanta Trans Youth holds their weekly meeting tonight.

7pm St. Anne’s Episcopal Church

TUESDAY, NOV. 13

The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, in partnership with the LGBTQ resource organization SOJOURN, is pleased to present a special 35th anniversary screening of the musical drama “Yentl,” directed by and starring Barbra Streisand.

Challenging the traditional norms of the time, the eponymous “Yentl” represents a fascinating character through which to explore contemporary issues of human sexuality and gender identity. The event will feature light bites and a discussion of the themes afterwards.

6:30pm Phillip Rush Center Ina Garten, the country’s most beloved culinary icon, author of ten New York Times bestselling cookbooks and host of the popular Emmy and James Beard Award-winning “Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics” show on Food Network, comes to Atlanta in celebration of her newest cookbook, “Cook Like a Pro.” Joined by a moderator, Ina will share stories that bring you behind the scenes of life in the Hamptons, filming her television show, writing bestselling cookbooks, and enjoying food with friends and family.

An audience Q&A will directly follow the

42 Best Bets November 9, 2018

SUNDAY, NOV. 11

Christina Aguilera brings The Liberation Tour to the Fox Theatre tonight with special guest Big Boi of Outkast.

8pm interview.

7:30pm Cobb Energy Centre B-12! PALS Atlanta hosts Way Way Off Broadway Drag Queen Bingo.

7:30pm Lips Atlanta

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 14

TEN Atlanta will once again transform from a crowded dance club into a cozy NYC Cabaret for consecutive Wednesday nights tonight with Boys Night “OUT” on Broadway, a one-hour musical and comedy revue written by Broadway veteran performer Robert Ray. 7 and 9pm TEN Atlanta

THURSDAY, NOV. 15

The Atlanta Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (AGLCC) hosts its Business Builder Luncheon today.

Hosted by Chip Ivie on the Third Thursday of each month, $20 (cash only please) lets you indulge in a preset menu. Open floor seating limited to 14 respondents. Please email Chip Ivie to RSVP at chipivie@kw.com.

11:45am Henry’s Midtown Tavern

Lambda Legal has led a fight for justice, bringing our community closer to equality than ever before. Today, its progress is threatened as our opponents argue cases all the way to the Supreme Court in their attempt to establish exemptions from our laws or use our constitution as a weapon against LGBTQ equality. Lambda Legal’s Power of the Party event is tonight.

6–8 pm 5Church Atlanta Point Foundation invites you to join us at A Night On Point. Come and learn about how Point empowers the next generation of LGBTQ leaders through scholarship, community service, leadership training and development. The evening will also include food, drinks, and a silent auction with fun, enticing prizes.

7–9:30pm 764 Miami Circle, Suite 120 Atlanta, GA 30324

FRIDAY, NOV. 16

Every Friday night at Mary’s Atlanta, come enjoy Queer Bait, featuring videos with DJ Headmaster.

Every Friday at midnight, it’s time to slip on those fishnets and make-up for the greatest live troupe in the city, Lips Down on Dixie, Inc.,

for a righteous party in front of the big screen for “The Rocky Horror Show.”

Midnight Plaza Theatre

SATURDAY, NOV. 17

The Atlanta Queer Literary Festival is now a year-round series of events taking place around metro Atlanta. Join the AQLF today in a discussion of Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple.”

3–4pm Ponce de Leon Branch Library It’s time to dust off your gear and get your daddy complex on for The ManShaft Levi-Leather Edition. Expect to see bulging Levi’s, leather, rubber, chaps, harnesses, hot daddies & their boys, bears & their cubs, furry chests & faces, vintage men’s films, anything fetish goes, and hanky codes. DJ Eric kicks off the night at 9pm, Diablo Rojo picks up at 11:30pm, and Neon the Glowgobear spins at 1:30am.

Heretic Atlanta

SUNDAY, NOV. 18

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

CONTINUES ON PAGE 44 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

EDGY, INNOVATIVE, AMAZING!

Celebrate Atlanta’s most unique and innovative arts programming in the beautifully renovated theater at the Ferst Center for the Arts!

arts@tech The End of TV by Manual Cinema

Saturday, January 12

Komansé Dance Theatre: Skid

Friday, January 25 Saturday, January 26

Fifth House Ensemble: Journey LIVE Gameplay Concert Saturday, February 9

Mark Nizer 4D Comedy Juggler Saturday, February 16

Callas in Concert– The Hologram Tour Saturday, February 23

Callas in Concert–

The Hologram Tour February 23, 2019 Through cutting edge technology and extraordinary theatrical stagecraft, this first of its kind live concert brings famed opera star Maria Callas back to the stage as a hologram through breathtaking state-of-the-art digital and laser projection for a live full concert experience featuring original recordings digitally remastered. Accompanied live on stage by the Georgia Tech Symphony Orchestra.

Maya Kodes The Virtual Singer Friday, March 29

Tickets on sale now!

404-894-9600

Tickets, details, and more events at

arts.gatech.edu

BEST BETS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 42 today at the Atlanta International School.

2:30–4pm Queer AF is a new Sunday night at My Sister’s Room with Drew Friday and Candida Valentina at 9pm.

MONDAY, NOV. 19

Trans and Friends is a youth-focused group for trans people, people questioning their own gender and aspiring allies, providing a facilitated space to discuss gender, relevant resources, and activism around social issues.

7 – 8:30pm Charis Books and More

TUESDAY, NOV. 20

Salsa! Merengue! Bachata! Enjoy Latino Tuesdays at Blake’s on the Park.

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 21

Don’t be shy — it’s Underwear Night at the Atlanta Eagle.

7pm

THURSDAY, NOV. 22

The Atlanta Coalition for LGBTQ Youth (ACFLY) is a consortium of youthserving nonprofits and other service providers working together to promote community-wide LGBTQ, youth and intersectional cultural humility, increase interagency collaboration, and facilitate referrals across service providers. The group meets on the third Thursday of the month.

11am Phillip Rush Center

UPCOMING SATURDAY, NOV. 24

Do you remember the old variety shows like “The Carol Burnett Show,” “The Muppet Show,” or “The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour?” Did you/do you always dream of being in the audience and being a part of the show? Atlanta’s all LGBTQIA+identifying comedy group, Queeriety, has just the show for you. Come see The Queeriety Variety Show on the last Saturday of every month. Each show will

be jam-packed with improvisation, live sketch comedy, stand-up comedy, puppetry, and drag performances.

11pm The Village Theater

TUESDAY, NOV. 27

The Auburn Avenue Research Library, in collaboration with the Charis Books and More Independent Book Store, will host author and activist Charlene A. Carruthers, as she discusses her publication “Unapologetic: A Black, Queer, and Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements.” Drawing on Black intellectual and grassroots organizing traditions, and LGBTQ rights and feminist movements, Unapologetic challenges all of us engaged in the social justice struggle, to make the movement for Black liberation more radical, more queer, and more feminist. This book provides a vision for how social justice movements can become sharper and more effective through principled struggle, healing justice, and leadership development.

7pm

TUESDAY, NOV. 27

Author and activist Charlene A. Carruthers discusses her publication “Unapologetic: A Black, Queer, and Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements.”

7pm Charis Books & More

44 Best Bets November 9, 2018 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID

The Election, Love, & Lip Service Melissa Carter In this post-election hangover, I keep hearing talk of a return to loving one another. Yet I suspect that’s meant as a look at me cry rather than a true effort of unconditional love.

These past few weeks I grew tired of political ads accusing the opponent of everything short of killing you in your sleep. I too want a place of love and acceptance, of true nationalism, but I also understand that simply swapping insults and attacking those who think differently from me is not the answer. We’re currently trapped on a pendulum swinging one way, then the other, with no real promise of a different direction.

It’s not a cliche that kids don’t understand hate, that they don’t see difference as a bad thing. It is a fact that we create the prejudice in our children, that ours came from those who raised us. We either embrace that hate and use it as our own, or we completely rebel against it and live a life differently from our parents in order to prove we’re “better.” But that’s the thing: No one is “better” than another and differences of opinion should never escalate to the level we see today, the level our parents saw, and pretty much the levels all our ancestors created. None of us started this life the way we end it.

To live a life of love for human beings would be unprecedented, since as much as we revere people like Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Jr., or Mahatma Gandhi, most of us assume we can’t achieve their brilliance. Yet, each one of those icons simply let go of their hatred and attempted to help people rather than hurt them. None were perfect, but each tapped into that same understanding my son has: Things should be fair and no one should be sad.

I look to my son a lot for sweetness, because that is what I miss most in adults. However, I know it’s still there in grown-ups by the way they react to Mr. Carter. The other day

I took him to my doctor’s appointment, and as I climbed onto the scale I felt a tug on my shirt. My son had wrapped his little fingers around a portion of its cuff and told me, “I’ll hold on to you, Mama, it won’t hurt.” The nurse almost passed out in adoration.

I recently attended my 30th high-school reunion and noticed so many of us, men and women, made a point to tell the other how much we loved them. It was more of a return to kindergarten for all of us, not high school, because we just wanted to enjoy each others’ company. There were Democrats and Republicans in there, black and white, gay and straight, yet none of that mattered. We were just kids in big-people bodies who would rather talk about our first sleepover or a gradeschool party than the things that divide us.

Love means exactly that, not a divvying out of affection to those we think deserve it. At some point a generation will have to decide to stop our self sabotage, passing the task of love off to the next generation, all while teaching them to protect themselves from the “other.”

One of the first out radio personalities in Atlanta, Melissa’s worked for B98.5 and Q100. Catch her daily on theProgressive Voices podcast “She Persisted.” Tweet her! @MelissaCarter

46 Columnists November 9, 2018 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

SOMETIMES ‘Y’

And the Band Plays On Ryan Lee At some point, a competent investigator will have to look into the Wharton School, Fordham University, and even Kew-Forest Elementary to figure out how this goddamn idiot matriculated through their institutions.

For all the racist angst over “social promotion” the past few decades, no inner-city school has ever sent one of its graduates onto the White House with a third-grade aptitude.

770-321-3433

snappyservices.com Snappy Makes Homes Happy!

If not for his father’s wealth, Donald Trump would undoubtedly be among the poorly educated he so admires. Even with his financial advantages and purchased degrees, Trump is unable to construct sentences sturdier than a pillow fort, and reads teleprompters with the cadence of that kid who used to piss on himself during story time.

Trump’s ignorance isn’t news, even if there are daily episodes that reveal he is even dumberer than we imagined. It’s never surprising to hear reports of one of his cabinet or staff members calling him “a fucking moron” or “dumb as shit,” or when he proves it by making suggestions like eliminating birthright citizenship via executive order.

More than half a million Americans died in the events that led to adoption of the 14th Amendment, which granted a citizenship that had been denied to tens of millions more during centuries of human bondage.

Trump likely knows neither that history nor the legislative process required to undo it, but he’s sharp enough to recognize his supporters being as stupid and baseless as himself.

So what if Trump had gone one step further, and aimed his tweets at the 13th Amendment?

It’s not even remotely implausible that the president of the United States would be awake at 3am, his mind and thumbs so inexplicably amped-up that they wonder aloud, “What was so bad w/ slavery? Lot’s of people aksing if we shall bought back!”

Is there anything from the past three years that would leave you to believe his supporters would do anything but remain aboard, playing their instruments as he sank to greater depths of indecency? Trump’s snuff www.thegeorgiavoice.com

$75 OFF

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP Shutterstock

fantasy about shooting someone on Fifth Avenue with immunity has proved to be uncharacteristically modest: He could shoot a viable, immaculately conceived fetus on any number of streets across the United States; he could target any person, or constitutional tenet, or societal norm, or sacred history; he could load the bombs and bullets that are flying across this country on his behalf, and his supporters will hail their allegiance.

ANY SERVICE CALL, NEW & EXISTING CUSTOMERS

•Heating •Attic Insulation •Cooling •Plumbing •Electrical •Energy Audits

Whether Trump is peacocking about soldiers using gunfire in response to rocks thrown at them by migrants, or celebrating the politician who physically assaulted a journalist, his supporters only cheer louder and sink lower.

One of the most disturbing elements of Trump’s administration is not that he would turn the U.S. military into assassination squads or enslave non-Aryans, but rather the third of our population willing to bargain with any devil in order to save the white-washed America of their memories or imaginations.

It’s hard to be optimistic about this week’s midterm elections, which will be decided after this column goes to print. Even a best-case blue wave will not bury the racist stupidity that accounts for Trump’s power — power he uses with genius.

November 9, 2018 Columnists 47

TIMELESS SPIRIT. TRUE ORIGINAL.

©DISNEY

Please visit our locations.

Atlanta: 500 L3 Amsterdam Avenue, or Decatur: 117 East Court Square.