David Magazine v10_i19 | Time to Play by David Atlanta Magazine

Lo Colby Wins Miss International Queen USA 2026

Edited by Mikkel Hyldebrandt

For Lo Colby, the moment her name echoed through the ballroom at Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City was more than a crowning achievement – it was the culmination of years of hard work, artistry, resilience, and community. The Hawaii-born Thai transgender woman, performer, and drag daughter of Sasha Colby was officially crowned Miss International Queen – USA 2026 during a dazzling weekend finale that celebrated the beauty, strength, and talent of transgender women from across the country.

The seven-day competition, hosted by Be the Transformational Change Fund, brought contestants together for a week filled with standout events including the National Costume Show, Preliminary Night, and the highly anticipated crowning ceremony. In an emotional passing-of-the-torch moment, outgoing titleholder Midori Monet placed the crown on Colby’s head, symbolizing another powerful step forward for transgender visibility and empowerment.

For Colby, who is based in the Los Angeles area, the experience was almost surreal.

“Time stopped for a minute when my name was announced,” she said. “I felt everything – shock, disbelief, joy, and an overwhelming sense of happiness. It was a once-in-alifetime feeling I had never experienced before.”

Even amid the whirlwind of emotions, Colby found grounding in the friendships she formed during the competition week. Reflecting on the final moments before the crowning, she shared, “I remember looking at Zhane’ and wanting to hug her. We became instant friends during the week, and sharing that moment with her made it even more meaningful. Hugging her grounded me, and I was able to truly feel every emotion.”

Zhane’ Dawlingz of Columbus, Ohio was named First Runner-Up, while Ziena Morales of San Diego earned the title of Second Runner-Up.

While Colby’s elegance and commanding stage presence captivated audiences throughout the competition, her platform and advocacy ambitions are equally

compelling. A technology professional and accomplished beauty and fashion creator with a growing following on social media, Colby hopes to use her title to champion transgender economic empowerment – particularly around workplace equity, entrepreneurship, and career access.

“Transgender women continue to face disproportionate barriers when it comes to career access and economic opportunity,” she said. “I know what it feels like to walk into a room and realize people are forming opinions about you before you’ve even had the chance to speak.”

Colby emphasized that conversations around inclusion must extend beyond visibility alone and into meaningful economic opportunity.

“At a time when the job market is increasingly competitive, we cannot aﬀord to overlook the talent, resilience, and perspective that transgender people bring to the workforce,” she continued. “We navigate the world with adaptability, empathy, and strength – qualities that make us powerful contributors to any organization or community.”

Her victory also carries a deeply personal cultural significance. Proudly representing both her Thai heritage and Hawaiian roots, Colby plans to bring warmth, compassion, and authenticity with her as she prepares to represent the United States at Miss International Queen 2026 in Thailand.

“Thailand is known as the ‘Land of Smiles,’” she said. “I plan to bring that same spirit with me – a bright smile, an open heart, and the aloha spirit that represents Hawaii, the land I proudly call home.”

Additional honors during the weekend celebration included Mint Hempstead receiving the Miss Congeniality award and

Ziena Morales earning the title of Most Photogenic. Colby and Zhane’ Dawlingz tied for Best Gown, while Hazel E. Devine won the Most Popular vote. Altesse Aurum was also recognized with the Transgender Advocacy Award.

As Lo Colby begins her reign, she does so carrying not only a crown, but a mission rooted in visibility, opportunity, and compassion. With international competition on the horizon and a growing platform behind her, Colby is poised to become a powerful voice for transgender empowerment both on and oﬀ the stage.

Pixels with Pride: The Best New Queer Games You Can Play Right Now

Edited by Mikkel Hyldebrandt

If the last year in gaming proves anything, it’s that queer stories are no longer relegated to subtext or side quests – they’re front and center, playable, and deeply felt. From sprawling RPGs to bite-sized narrative apps, developers are embracing LGBTQ+ identities not as optional add-ons, but as essential storytelling tools.

What’s changed is simple: queer players are no longer asking for scraps. They’re getting fully realized worlds where their identities aren’t side notes—they’re the story. Here’s a look at some of the best and most exciting queer-inclusive games of the past year—titles that let you play, ﬂirt, ﬁght, and fall in love on your own terms.

Epic Adventures with Queer at the Core

Big-budget RPGs have ﬁnally caught up with what queer gamers have always wanted: agency. In Dragon Age: The Veilguard, players can fully customize their protagonist’s gender identity and sexuality, shaping relationships and story arcs in a richly immersive fantasy world. The game’s commitment to inclusivity earned it multiple wins at the 2025 Gayming Awards, cementing its place as a landmark title for LGBTQ+ representation.

Similarly, Echoes of the End pushes things even further, weaving queer identities directly into its narrative fabric. Players can choose pronouns, explore romance options across the gender spectrum, and engage with storylines that center nonbinary and transgender characters in meaningful ways—not just as representation, but as fully realized heroes.

And while it’s technically a remaster, The Last of Us Part II Remastered continues to dominate queer gaming conversations, thanks to Ellie and Dina’s relationship—still one of the most emotionally authentic sapphic love stories in modern gaming.

Indie Games Bringing the Heart (and the Chaos)

Indie developers are where queer storytelling really thrives—and gets weird in the best way.

Take Caravan SandWitch, a 2025 standout that drops players into a colorful open world ﬁlled with explicitly queer and trans characters. Rather than making identity the “issue,” the game normalizes it, letting LGBTQ+ lives exist as part of the everyday fabric of its world.

Then there’s Quantum Witch, a delightfully offbeat pixel adventure that blends humor, magic, and deeply personal queer storytelling. With branching narratives and multiple endings, it invites players to shape a story that can be as chaotic—or heartfelt—as they want.

For something more introspective, London: Echoes of the Past offers a cozy, narrative-driven RPG experience. Set in a moody, supernatural London, the game focuses on relationships, identity, and emotional connection, proving that queer storytelling doesn’t need explosions to be compelling.

Romance, Relationships, and All the Feels

If you’re in it for the drama (and let’s be honest, many of us are), visual novels and story-driven games are delivering some of the richest queer narratives around.

Pivot of Hearts stands out for its refreshingly honest take on non-monogamy and queer relationships. Set in São Paulo, the game explores emotional growth, messy connections, and the idea that love doesn’t have to follow traditional rules.

Even outside strictly queer titles, games are embracing ﬂuidity. Community chatter highlights titles like Hades II and other RPGs where same-sex romance options and queer-coded characters are increasingly common and expected. It’s a reminder that queer inclusion is no longer niche—it’s becoming a standard feature of modern storytelling.

Casual, Cozy, and Queer-Friendly Play

Not every queer gaming experience needs to be a 60-hour epic. Cozy and casual games are carving out space for softer, more personal stories. Narrative puzzle games, dating sims, and even mobile-friendly titles are embracing LGBTQ+ themes, offering low-stakes environments where identity exploration feels safe and joyful.

Upcoming releases like Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream are also expanding what representation looks like in casual play, allowing players to create nonbinary characters and deﬁne their relationships freely—a major shift from earlier, more restrictive versions.

A Polite Rebellion: Etiquette for Gay Georgians

By Tristan Lane for The Lavender Lens

There is a particular kind of Southern charm that people romanticize the warm smile, the easy “y’all,” the illusion that manners are woven into the humidity itself. But somewhere between brunch culture, lastminute cancellations, and the tyranny of the group chat, a certain social decay has crept in. And yes, my dear Gay Georgians, we need to talk about it.

Because etiquette is not about being stuffy. It’s about respect. It’s about signaling to one another: you matter enough for me to show up properly.

Let’s begin with the most basic yet most frequently violated commandment: be on time.

Time is the one currency none of us can replenish. When a host says 7:00 p.m., that does not mean 7:45 with a breezy apology and a story about trafﬁc on Piedmont. Chronic lateness isn’t charming. It’s inconsiderate. In a community that prides itself on connection, showing up late is the quietest way of saying someone else’s effort wasn’t worth your punctuality.

Contribute accordingly.

And for those who arrive with liquor good. Excellent, even. But here is where we must draw a ﬁrm line in the sand: if you bring a bottle, you leave the bottle. This is not a pop-up bar where you reclaim your assets at the end of the evening. The host keeps it. That’s the point. Taking it home is not frugal it’s gauche.

And then there is the RSVP that endangered species.

An invitation is not a vague suggestion. It is a logistical act of faith. When someone opens their home, books a table, or curates a guest list, they are planning around you. Responding “maybe” or, worse, saying nothing at all is not neutral it’s disruptive. And declining on the day? Unless you’ve been struck down by illness or something genuinely unavoidable, it’s poor form. Social ﬂakiness has become normalized, but it erodes trust faster than any disagreement ever could.

At its core, all of this speaks to something deeper within our community. We have built spaces chosen eco systems , social circles, gatherings that sustain us in ways the world historically has not. But those spaces require care. They require intention. They require a shared understanding that showing up well is part of the social contract.

Etiquette, then, is not about rules for the sake of rules. It is about preserving the dignity of our connections. It is about honoring the effort behind every invitation, every meal, every moment of community we create together.

So be on time. RSVP like you mean it. Don’t cancel at the eleventh hour. Bring something worthy of the table. And if you bring the bottle leave the damn bottle.

Now let’s turn to the sacred ritual of the dinner invite.

If someone hosts you, you bring something Always. A bottle of wine is not revolutionary it is the bare minimum. And let’s be clear: if ﬁve of you descend on someone’s home, two bottles between you is not generosity, it’s rationing. We are not in prohibition.

Because being fabulous is effortless.

Being considerate? That still takes practice.

BARS & CLUBS MIDTOWN

BLAKE’S ON THE PARK blakesontheparkatlanta.com 227 10th St NE

BULLDOGS 893 Peachtree St NE

FRIENDS NEIGHBORHOOD BAR friendsonponce-atl. com 736 Ponce De Leon Ave NE

MY SISTER’S ROOM mysistersroom.com 66 12th St NE

X MIDTOWN xmidtown.com 990 Piedmont Ave NE

THE T modeltatlanta.com 465 Boulevard SE

CHESHIRE

HERETIC hereticatlanta.com 2069 Cheshire Bridge Road

BJ ROOSTERS bjroosters.com 2043 Cheshire Bridge Road NE

WESTSIDE

MARQUETTE 868 Joseph E. Boone Blvd NW

840ATL

840 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd

BOGGS SOCIAL & SUPPLY 1310 White St. SW Atlanta, GA 30310 boggssocial.com

ANSLEY

ATLANTA EAGLE 1492 Piedmont Ave NE

FELIX’S 1510 Piedmont Ave NE

MIXX mixxatlanta.com 1492 Piedmont Ave NE

OSCAR’S oscarsatlanta.com 1510 Piedmont Ave NE

WOOFS woofsatlanta.com 494 Plasters Ave NE

TRIPPS fb: tripps-bar 1931 Piedmont Cir NE

EAST ATLANTA, GRANT PARK & EDGEWOOD

MARY’S marysatlanta.com 1287 Glenwood Ave SE

LORE ATLANTA loreatl.com 466 Edgewood Ave loreatl.com

DINING

MIDTOWN

CASA ALMENARA 991 Piedmont Ave NE casa-almenara.com

LA HACIENDA lahaciendamidtown. com

900 Monroe Dr NE

TUK TUK THAI FOOD LOFT TUKTUKATL.COM

1745 Peachtree Rd NW

DEKALB

LIPS ATLANTA atldragshow.com 3011 Buford Hwy NE

RETAIL MIDTOWN

BOY NEXT DOOR MENSWEAR boynextdoormenswear.com

1000 Piedmont Ave NE, Ste A

ANSLEY

BARKING LEATHER barkingleather.com 1510 Piedmont Ave NE

GCB & PLEASURES brushstrokesatlanta. com

1510-D Piedmont Ave. NE

FITNESS MIDTOWN

URBAN BODY FITNESS urbanbody tness. com

500 Amsterdam Ave N

CHESHIRE

GRAVITY FITNESS gravity tnessatl.com 2201 Faulkner Rd NE

SPAS/BATHS ADULT

FLEX SPA exspas.com 76 4th St NW

SOUTHERN NIGHTS VIDEO 2205 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE

Atlanta Socializers Club

Photos by: Barry Cooper

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