David Magazine v8_i12 | March Radness

Geraldine Viswanathan Is Ready

Geraldine Viswanathan Is Ready for Her Next Lesbian Movie

By Chris Azzopardi Photos: Focus Features

It’s quite the compliment to her time filming “Drive-Away Dolls” that Geraldine Viswanathan, after playing her first onscreen queer role, would “do anything” to make it happen again. “If I can weasel my way in there, honey, I’m going to. I’ll hold the boom. I’ll do catering,” says Viswanathan, an Australian actress who is part Swiss and Indian and earned recognition for her breakout role in 2018’s teen sex comedy “Blockers.”

She might be in luck, considering the filmmaking team behind “Drive-Away Dolls.” Ethan Coen, of the Coen brothers, and longtime film editor Tricia Cooke, who is Coen’s wife and also an out lesbian (they’ve been in an open marriage for over 20 years) told me recently that they are just getting started.

The film is the creators’ first lesbian B-movie in a planned trilogy of sorts, and stars Viswanathan as Marian, who’s yet to be laid, much to the dismay of her freewheeling best friend, Jamie (Margaret Qualley), who has recently gone through a nasty breakup with her girlfriend Sukie (Beanie Feldstein). Together, Marian and Jamie head out on a road trip down to Florida, where it may be the ’90s but “don’t say gay” is still implied when they have a run-in with government officials for reasons that definitely seem like something Florida political figures would waste their time prosecuting.

During our recent chat, Viswanathan spoke about the first time she played a queer character,” the “quietly revolutionary” tone of the film and how it honors lesbian bars as the safe spaces they’ve always been.

How have you been describing this movie to your friends?

I describe it as a Coen movie, first and foremost, and I say it’s a wacky lesbian screwball road trip comedy caper where we’re driving down South, and we have a package that some people really want.

Is it too much of a spoiler to say what’s in the package?

When I’m talking to my friends, I do. And I think there’s no surprises at this point. I’ve done so many movies in this vein, so I think it’s not a shock.

What are your thoughts on this film being released during a politically precarious time for queer people?

I think “Drive-Away Dolls” is very quietly revolutionary. Initially, when reading it and while making it, it was just: Let’s make the most outrageous, funniest, wildest, queerest

comedy that we can. Now, as the movie’s releasing, it does feel like there’s this added significance in this moment that we’re in where I feel like it’s a really great time actually for queer movies, and it’s rare that the three leading characters in a big theatrically released movie are queer women.

The way that sex and sexuality are treated in this movie, it’s something that I wish that I could have seen on screen growing up, where it’s shameless and approached with lightness and silliness and authenticity. It really feels like the male gaze is not present in this movie. That’s a testament to the way that Ethan made space for Tricia’s vision and experience and what she has to say. It’s one of the best things that a movie can do that I think is within our power.

You mentioned we don’t see many lesbian women on screen, but then, of course, you are Indian, so that kind of intersectionality is even more rare. Can you talk about the importance of that representation?

I feel like my first movie being “Blockers,” it felt significant to be the most outrageous and most sexual character in that movie. And then to be a South Asian young woman talking about how she wants to get laid — historically, South Asians are very desexualized and not really in those roles. I know that Ethan and Trish wrote this movie in the ’90s, and I feel like the fact that we’re making this movie now… maybe that’s one of the benefits of making this movie now? I don’t know if I would’ve been in this movie in the ’90s. So I think it’s really cool and that is not lost on me.

You said you worked closely with Tricia on developing the character’s queerness. What was that collaboration like for you? There were a lot of references to queer history in the movie that are quite subtle, but there and awesome, nonetheless. So Tricia gave us this pamphlet, a rundown of some references and queer history. And I met Trish’s friend who I think Jamie is sort of based off of. Then I sort of realized, “OK, I think Trish is Marian, mostly.” And so just hanging out with Trish and Trish’s partner, this amazing activist, and I just tried to soak it all up and I was just all ears to anything that Trish had to say and was really grateful for her perspective in making the movie and just to have her on set. Her and Ethan were very equal in presence on set, which was really nice.

Is Marian your first queer character?

I’m trying to think. Oh, I just remembered I did a play in Sydney that was a lesbian love story; that was the bell ringing in my head. But that’s theater. It’s a different world. It was like a lesbian rom-com with two girls. Super cute. It was set in high school and it was called “Ellie and Abbie” and this queer writer, Monica Zanetti, wrote it in Australia, and we did it at a local theater, and then they turned it into a movie, actually. There’s actually no men at all, which I don’t know if I’ve seen. But yeah, this is my first time on screen.

With a film about young queer people, what is it like to be the one sharing that narrative with kids who might be looking to see versions of themselves on screen? It’s super meaningful. I think if there’s any throughline in my career, it’s just liberation and freedom and self-acceptance, and it just feels like this is a part of that. And I love just working with women. I don’t need to play a straight love story ever again. No shade to straight men, but I’m good. I don’t need that. I can really live without it. So I think just getting to work with Margaret, just to have all my scenes with Margaret, was such a dream. I love that, not having to deal with too many male egos.

Did you draw from any personal experience or research to authentically capture the essence of Marian’s queer identity?

I definitely did. I think it’s all invisible work.

It’s all work that I did for myself to help me understand Marian, but I thought about my sexual awakenings and relationships and even people that I’ve been friends with and then been like, “Wait a minute.” Yeah, there was plenty that I related to with Marian, even though on the surface I thought I didn’t. But upon deeper reflection, I was like, “Wait, no, I totally relate to her” in that she’s kind of specific and has a big, easily bruised heart and runs deep and is sort of an old soul and would rather skip all the frivolousness of dating and sleeping around and just wants to be cozy and wifed up and go to rallies.

This movie is a love letter to lesbian bars. Was part of the research for this movie to go to any lesbian bars?

Yeah, that’s what’s so cool. We did a press junket yesterday in this lesbian bar, Henrietta Hudson in New York, and it’s one of two lesbian bars in the city left, and we found out that there’s only 23 lesbian bars in America, and that just broke my heart. I can’t believe it. That’s so sad. So to have a love letter to those safe spaces is, again, so quietly revolutionary.

Chris Azzopardi is the Editorial Director of Pride Source Media Group and Q Syndicate, the national LGBTQ+ wire service. He has interviewed a multitude of superstars, including Cher, Meryl Streep, Mariah Carey and Beyoncé. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, GQ and Billboard. Reach him via Twitter @ chrisazzopardi.

Standing the Ropes at the Capitol

By Erica Meade

Photos: Erica Meade

On February 27th, hundreds of LGBT activists and supporters rallied at the Georgia State Capital to raise their voices against a handful of state senate bills that, if passed, will be harmful to LGBT youth, families and educators. Activists targeted Senate Bills (SBs) 180, 88, 365, 394, and 154, each of which would restrict the rights of LGBT youth and families and, in some instances, even make it illegal for librarians to lend out queer-related books and resources. A coalition that includes Planned Parenthood, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and the Southern Poverty Law Center were among those who stood with the activists in opposing these bills.

If passed, SB 180 (also known as the Georgia Religious Freedom Restoration Act or RFRA) would prohibit the state of Georgia from interfering with individuals and businesses’ ability to discriminate against queer and trans people on religious grounds. Authored by Ryan Setzler of Acworth, the bill could limit queer access to housing or essential medical services.

Coalition leaders also emphasized the importance of defeating SB 88, which many speakers referred to as the “don’t say LGBT” bill. Although SB 88 has failed to make it out of committee due to a surprising lack of support from conservative lobbyists and political groups, it would require educators to report to a child’s parents when the child identifies as or shows support for the LGBT community in the classroom.

The remaining three bills, SB 154, 365 and 394, all relate to education censorship. Respectively, the impacts of these bills would criminalize loaning LGBT material to children, notify parents directly when children borrow queer literature and additionally conflate LGBT books to pornography.

Defeating this many bills calls for a mass mobilization and organization of working-class individuals and on the morning of February 27th, Atlantans did just that. Organizers from several Atlanta and Georgia-based LGBT organizations descended on Atlanta City Hall for a bright and early 8 AM start, promising a full day of activities for attendees.

A table of smiling faces greeted participants as they streamed past the security entrance of the Atlanta City Hall. After signing in, participants moved to round tables that occupied the ground floor, some sitting with friends, others sitting with strangers. After helping themselves to a classic southern breakfast of eggs with biscuits and gravy, they settled in for the day ahead.

Bentley Hudgins, the Georgia State director for HRC took the mic to address attendees before splitting them into groups where they could learn about the bills and the impact each would have on the LGBT community.

From there, the crowd marched onwards to the Georgia State Capitol, just a few blocks away. Across the street from the shining golden dome, the crowd gathered to rally before heading into the legislative building. Speakers, choirs, and even a drag performance by Chapel Beauty sparked energy in the crowd and stirred up the

determination that would be needed to take action in the senate halls. Figures such as Kim Jackson, the only openly LGBT state Senator, and SnapCo. Executive Director Toni Michelle Williams addressed the bubbling and cheering crowd on the green grass of Liberty Plaza. The message of the speakers was simple: “When we fight, we win.”

The crowd intended to do just that. Following the drag performance, the flag holders and chanters moved into the congressional building. The main plan for the day was a process of lobbying referred to as “standing the ropes”. Outside the Senate floor, a stream of ropes lines the ivory white walls. Between sessions, legislators will come out to speak with constituents behind the ropes. It was here that those most impacted by the bills would make their case to the Senators as to why the legislation on the floor should not pass.

One of the legislators who briefly came out to speak with lobbyists was Jason Esteves, the state Senator of Georgia District 6, which covers, among other areas Grove Park, Vinings and Buckhead. Esteves, who committed to voting against SB 180, also commented on SB 88, claiming it “particularly puts a burden on teachers that [they] don’t deserve.” While SB 88 is not expected to pass this legislative session, there is no guarantee Republicans will not propose a similar bill in future legislative sessions.

As legislators spoke out about the pressing antiqueer tide brewing on the Georgia Senate floor, activists from various organizations spoke among themselves regarding the reasons they fight for LGBT rights, both inside and outside the golden dome. Toni Michelle Williams, moved quickly between the event coordinators, making sure to stop with various youth activists to discuss the numerous obstacles the queer community faces. Williams’ organization, SnapCo. (Solutions Not Punishments Collaborative) stresses the need to find solutions to crime that don’t involve prisons and police. With bills on the floor that could criminalize actions by librarians, Williams made sure to be anything but silent in the State Capital.

According to Williams, one of the most important aspects of her work is “creating and building alternatives to safety that exist outside of policing.” Given the severity of bills on the Senate floor, Williams told her comrades that now is the time to “organize people around those solutions and mobilize a movement” in order to ensure these harmful bills don’t pass.

With the eyes of Confederate generals peering down on the proudly flamboyant crowd, the legislative session started to wind down for the day. While the time to fight in the Capital was coming to a close, the time to start fighting in the streets was just beginning. Waving queer banners against a backdrop of Confederate flags, rally attendees from every walk of life marched out of The Capital just as they had marched in that morning. Despite the tragedy of the Senate bills, crowd members held their heads high knowing they would be back. They intended to fight, and more importantly they intended to win.

Monday-Wednesday

Monday-Wednesday

Friday-Saturday

Friday-Saturday

Sunday

Sunday

Photos by: Russ Bowen-Youngblood

Freshen Up for Spring

A Guide to Grooming for the New Season

Edited by Mikkel Hyldebrandt

As the days grow longer and the flowers begin to bloom, it’s the perfect time to shake off the winter blues and embrace a fresh new look for spring. Just as nature undergoes a transformation, so too can we revitalize our appearance with a few grooming tweaks. Whether it’s updating your hairstyle, refining your beard, or refreshing your skincare routine, here’s why you should consider changing up your look for the season ahead.

New Hairstyle, New You

Spring is all about renewal, making it an ideal time to switch up your hairstyle. Consider trying a new cut or experimenting with different lengths and textures. Opt for a style that complements your face shape and personal style while reflecting the vibrant energy of the season. Whether you go for a daring undercut, a classic bob, or playful curls, a fresh haircut can instantly uplift your mood and confidence.

Trim and Shape Your Beard

protection from the sun. Invest in lightweight, noncomedogenic moisturizers and sunscreens to shield your skin from harmful UV rays without clogging pores. Consider incorporating exfoliation into your routine to slough away dead skin cells and reveal a fresh, radiant complexion.

Embrace Spring Colors

If you sport facial hair, spring is the perfect opportunity to give your beard some extra attention. Schedule a trim to tidy up any stray hairs and achieve a polished look. Experiment with different beard styles, from a neatly groomed stubble to a full, luscious beard, to find what suits you best. Remember to moisturize and condition your beard regularly to keep it soft and manageable, especially as the weather warms up and the air becomes drier.

Revamp Your Skincare Routine

With the change in seasons, it’s essential to adjust your skincare regimen to address any new concerns. As the weather becomes milder, you may find that your skin requires different hydration levels and

Spring is synonymous with vibrant hues and playful patterns, so why not incorporate them into your grooming routine? Experiment with colorful hair accessories, bold eyeshadows, or statement lipsticks to add a pop of color to your look. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and express your individuality through your style choices. Whether you opt for pastel shades or bright neons, embracing spring colors can inject a sense of fun and whimsy into your grooming routine.

Spring is the perfect time to refresh your grooming routine and embrace a new look. Whether you opt for a new hairstyle, a beard trim, or a skincare overhaul, making small changes can have a big impact on your confidence and self-expression. So go ahead, indulge in some self-care, and let your inner beauty shine as brightly as the blossoms of spring.

BARS

B

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

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CHESHIRE

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WESTSIDE

MARQUETTE

868 Joseph E. Boone Blvd NW

840ATL

840 Joseph E. Boone Blvd NW

ANSLEY

A snapshot of Gay Atlanta’s favorite destinations. View their ads in DAVID & visit their websites for weekly event listings.

SNAPS

ATLANTA EAGLE 1492 Piedmont Ave NE

FELIX’S 1510 Piedmont Ave NE

THE HIDEAWAY 1544 Piedmont Ave NE

MIXX

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OSCAR’S oscarsatlanta.com 1510 Piedmont Ave NE

WOOFS

woofsatlanta.com

494 Plasters Ave NE

EAST ATLANTA, GRANT PARK & EDGEWOOD

MARY’S

marysatlanta.com 1287 Glenwood Ave SE

SISTER LOUISA’S CHURCH

sisterlouisaschurch. com

466 Edgewood Ave SE

DINING MIDTOWN

CASA ALMENARA

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HENRY’S henrysatl.com

132 10th St NE

LA HACIENDA lahaciendamidtown. com

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TUK TUK THAI FOOD LOFT

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DEKALB

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RETAIL MIDTOWN

BARKING LEATHER AFTER DARK barkingleather.com

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BOY NEXT DOOR MENSWEAR boynextdoormenswear.com 1000 Piedmont Ave NE, Ste A

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FITNESS

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CHESHIRE

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SPAS/BATHS ADULT

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Photos by: Russ Bowen-Youngblood

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