Skip to main content

Peach v1 i1 | July 12, 2017

Page 1


925B Peachtree St. NE, Suite 168

Atlanta, GA 30309

404.439.9838

PUBLISHERS

William Duffee-Braun william@peachatl.com

Mike Fleming mike@peachatl.com

ART

Tanner Gill

Art Director tanner@peachatl.com

SALES

Russ Youngblood

Senior Sales Representative russ@peachatl.com

Jim Brams jim@peachatl.com

Steve Tyrrell steve@peachatl.com

CONTRIBUTORS

Buck C. Cooke

James Hicks

Matthew Holley

Scott King

James Parker Sheffield

Chris Vizzini

DISTRIBUTION

Brian Harmon

NATIONAL AD REP

Rivendell Media

908-232-2021

With a combined 54 years in LGBT Atlanta media, a core team offers up a new fruit.

IF THE BEST GIFT WE CAN GIVE ourselves is change, why is it sometimes such a difficult, bittersweet process? Well, usually the greatest growth doesn’t come easy, but take heart, because there’s another saying: The more things change, the more some of the best parts stay the same.

Bite into Peach ATL

Take Atlanta’s only weekly LGBT magazine. You may notice some changes in the gay nightlife and entertainment resource that you picked up this week, including the Peach ATL name on the cover.

The good news is that Peach is a change that will go down sweet. Like a summer fruit in its prime, Peach will taste familiar and all good. Atlanta will not skip a beat on its weekly guide to gay culture, clubs and cocktails, boys and beers, DJs and drag.

Right about now, our more jittery readers might be thinking, “Who are you and what have you done with our weekly LGBT magazine?” It’s a fair question, but relax and keep reading.

MOST OF THE MAJOR PLAYERS THAT you know from the former David Atlanta, which stopped publishing after its

July 5 issue, are still at the helm, as we have been for years now. I personally shepherded the old David as Editor from 2004 – 2009 while simultaneously serving on the staff at Southern Voice, the precursor to Georgia Voice. I returned to this staff as Editorial Director in 2015 after helping run the online news source Project Q Atlanta, for which I still own an interest.

My co-publisher William Duffee-Braun was a founder of Fenuxe before moving his talents to raise the game at David Atlanta four years ago. He is also founding publisher of Goliath Atlanta, our sibling monthly men’s magazine. It was under his talents and vision as Sales & Development Director that David Atlanta returned to the quality that tempted me back into the fold.

William and I are confident that our mix of skills and experience is the right one to keep the good traditions alive while forging new ones – not only in the weekly print publication, daily website and social media presence, but in our personal commitment to the community, its organizers and its events.

Together, the two of us are responsible for the improvements you’ve seen over the last two years at both David Atlanta and Goliath Atlanta, including the work of talented Art Director Tanner Gill and veteran Senior Sales Representative Russ Youngblood, who was with the old publication most of its 20 years. Both of these dedicated local gay men are on staff at Peach ATL, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

WE’LL MISS OUR DEAR FRIEND DAVID

Thompson, the owner of the now-defunct David Atlanta. He is the only person on the former staff who will not transition to Peach ATL. It was his decision to move on from the publication that prompted William and I to start the new company.

In some ways, David was the heart of our old office. A teddy bear with a wicked sense of humor, he generously provided opportunities for each of us to do what we love in our careers. Ultimately, illness influenced his decision to shut down operations and takes him away from his daily duties, but Peach ATL moves forward with his blessing.

At a time when the future of gay media in Atlanta was on unsure footing, he made sure that Atlanta readers would continue receiving their weekly gay resource, and that advertisers would continue to get the best deal in town for reaching LGBT Atlanta’s most frequent, reliable and loyal audience.

David remains in Atlanta as a business consultant while he takes care of himself as much as he has of others. The transition provides him more time to fight some of the burdens that contributed to his illness.

WHEN IT COMES TO YOU, PEACH

ATL is like a good remix: Much of the song remains the same, only with new

energy. We will continue bringing you local gay culture, events, viewpoints, and just-for-fun features.

Contributors who readers love remain as well. In this issue, look for a Joining Hearts preview, two thought provoking opinion pieces, Peach Scene photos, as well as the popular Hey Daddy! column, which continues in Peach ATL

We also offer new weekly features like the Lineup calendar, the cheeky Peach List, a Big Peach map and guide to Atlanta’s gayest destinations, Oh My Stars horoscopes, and Peach Pits, which welcomes your commentary on all things fab and not-so fab about gay life in Atlanta.

Enjoy our inaugural edition, and please reach out with your ideas. Like a beautiful queen with decades under her belt, our guys are here like always, only with a fresh face.

And in this case, the saying is true: Change is the best gift we can give to you.

PHOTOS: James Hicks

Midtown’s Newest Mediterranean/American Cuisine

Handcrafted Cocktails, Local Beers, Wines from around the Region Patio Seating up to 150 Guests LUNCH

S A T U R D AY, J U LY 2 2

Nothing says, ‘Welcome to Atlanta!’ like muscles, tats and a winning smile. Travis Russo shakes up your cocktails at Ten Atlanta in our cover story on Page 36 and turns heads as our inaugural Peach ATL cover guy.

Photos by Russ Youngblood

Our 27-story high-rise in the heart of Tech Square features three levels of the most unique amenities in Atlanta (if not the U.S.!). Experience our stunning collection of features and imagine your life, optimized. Penthouse units will be available early 2018.

1/8 Mile Running Track

Heated Saltwater Pool with Resistance Lane

Membership-Class Fitness Center with Yoga Studio

Internet-Enabled Fitness Equipment and Outdoor Crossfit Stations

95 8th Street NW | Atlanta, GA

P. 855.208.3555

ModeraMidtown@MillCreekPlaces.com ModeraMidtown.com

PRIDE FRIES

The marketplace of ideas and

the ubiquity

of gay culture.

I’M HARD TO SHOCK. I SEEN IT ALL, AND I’VE HEARD even worse. I’ve always thought Marilyn Manson was boring.

A few weeks ago, at the beginning of Pride month, I saw an ad for something called Pride Fries. No, this is not a Fort Lauderdale tanning contest. This is an ad campaign recently promulgated by good ol’ Micky D’s, to celebrate Pride Month and to put a rainbow flag on the back of your Super Size.

Pride? Rocking out your local McDonald’s? In, like, Alabama? Excuse me while I pick my jaw up from the dang floor.

Are we that mainstream that we can claim billions and billions served? Just do it? Is Nationwide really on our side? Apparently.

Kim Davis was ostensibly the last wave of the backlash. Her appearances in that Laura Ashley dress, standing as both martyr and poster divorcee for “traditional” marriage, was a surefire sign that we had won the culture wars and had achieved equality in every state and on the federal level. All that was left for her to do was come out of that jail cell a second time into the arms

of Mrs. Mike Huckabee, with the backing soundtrack of “Eye of the Tiger.” For the next month, you couldn’t walk past a queer bar without hearing a remix of that classic ‘80s track.

I love gay people so hard. I love straight people, too.

EVEN THOUGH IT’S TRAUMATIC, AND TRAGIC, REMEMBER Orlando. After a lone-gunman misanthrope attacked the gay community in that fair city, the masses stood in line to donate blood to save gay lives. And the gays were there to distribute bottles of water to the volunteers and donors.

That was the part when I teared up for the second (or third) time. Let’s not forget that we are only about 30 years removed from the days when Ryan White was called the F word and needed a federal court order to go to school.

And as recently as 1992 (!) Pat Robertson was speaking to the Republican National Convention about how we need to take back our cities back from “the perverts and the thugs.” He meant gays and blacks. Whom would that leave?

It’s not that those sentiments are dead or verboten. Peek back in history, and you will see that the same hateful and divisive scare tactics being employed to gain support for bathroom bills, adoption laws, and religious freedom bills that would codify discrimination, were used against gay and other victims of HIV in the ‘80s, birth control and equal pay seeking women in the ‘60s and ‘70s, and black people (especially women) forever.

PAULA ABDUL WAS RIGHT, OF COURSE. WE TAKE TWO steps forward, and the backlash takes us two steps back.

But the one thing they can’t take from us is our ubiquity. We are in every family and every community, and people know what we fucking look like. If even McDonald’s is pushing the gay agenda, you know something must have changed in the zeitgeist.

Like the Kardashians, everyone knows about the LGBT community, even if they’re not the biggest fans, and even if they know very little about us, or claim never to have met any of us.

Personally, I’ve never seen their show, the family K. I don’t know their names, either. Still, they’re everywhere. They seem very nice on talk shows. And so articulate! And they’re just a fact of life. They’re not going away.

And like them, some people really like us.

Other than having sex with beautiful, beautiful men, my favorite thing about being gay is the light that it puts in people’s eyes. When you are a happy gay person and you meet a person that is fairly groovy, and they figure out fairly quickly that you are a fun gay person, they light up. Like a damn Christmas tree.

Or, to put it more clearly, like a child’s eyes when he spies his yumny, yummy pride fries.

Mmm. Mmm. Good!

4-COLOR FABULOUS

How comic book super heroes gave this gay Atlanta man his coming of age.

WHEN I WAS 4 YEARS OLD, A WORLD OF FOUR-COLOR fantasy opened up to me, and it would become a life-long obsession.

I was introduced to comic books by the kid next door, who would become my childhood best friend. I imagine I enjoyed them at first because they contained new adventures of characters I watched on TV, like Batman, Superman, and my favorite, Wonder Woman. I don’t really remember, I just know I was hooked.

Because I was so young, my mama would have to help me read some of the words until I was old enough. I used to ask her if she had washed her hands before we’d start to read them. I was precocious, to say the least.

Over the next couple of years, I started following the narratives and reading series instead of just picking up random books, learning more about the worlds inhabited by the characters. I read comics published by DC and Marvel and I was all about the super heroes.

I really liked books with teams of heroes – It was more story and action for your money, I reasoned – and I was drawn to

the female characters in particular. They were fierce! They had badass costumes and they were so much fun to draw.

WONDER WOMAN CAPTIVATED ME IN A WAY THE OTHER series didn’t. She was drawn as such a sexy and strong character, and something about her Amazonian heritage resonated within me because I liked mythology. I was fascinated.

I also loved “Justice League of America,” partially because Wonder Woman was a frequent member, but also because a plethora of other exciting heroes were a part of the team, like Hawkman, Hawkgirl (yes, she was still “girl” at that time even though she was a grown-ass woman), Zatanna, and Black Canary. “The New Teen Titans” was another favorite series.

In 1983, I discovered the X-Men, Marvel’s merry band of mutants, when they guest-starred on an episode of one of my favorite cartoons, “Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends.” I started reading “The Uncanny X-Men” along with “New Mutants” and subsequent X-related series, the bulk of which were written by Chris Claremont.

From the time of their creation in 1963, X-Men and mutantkind stood in place for the “other” in society. Mutants were the victim of extreme prejudice and often violent harassment. Parallels from their stories can be drawn to racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, and religious persecution.

As I matured and came to sense something of the “other” in myself, I became incredibly attached to these characters and sought out back issues of the comics, reaching all the way back to the introduction of the new line-up of the X-Men in 1975, which included Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus, Banshee, Thunderbird, and Wolverine.

They were multi-ethnic and hailed from different countries. To me, it was like the TV show “Fame” with super powers.

PRIOR TO ANY AWARENESS OF FEMINISM AND SOCIAL justice, seeds were being sown in my young mind as I read about the adventures of X-Men, Wonder Woman, and other heroes. Yes, comic books contained some hot, muscular men in skintight costumes (especially the way Alan Davis drew Captain Britain), but my connection to those books was more deep and meaningful than that.

The heroes upheld the principles of fair play, righted wrongs, and defended those who couldn’t defend themselves.

As I struggled with coming out to myself and others, I often drew parallels between my secret self and having a secret identity, just like the superheroes in the stories I loved. Comics also provided a safe haven for me when life would get too rough.

I struggled with depression since I became aware of my sexual orientation. The characters in my comic books were like old friends I knew wouldn’t abandon me.

Even as a grown man, I find comfort and excitement in the pages of comic books. I never know what will come on the next page, just like I never know what adventure awaits in real life.

30 & ‘FLIRTY’

Joining Hearts celebrates 30 years with Atlanta’s biggest, gayest pool party of the summer.

In honor of three decades’ persistent fight against HIV/AIDS in Atlanta, Joining Hearts is turning its annual summer pool bash into a special celebration, memorializing its milestone 30th birthday and all of the hard work and amazing accomplishments its dedicated volunteers, and all of it loyal patrons, have achieved over the years.

Set for July 15 from 4 p.m. - 10:30 p.m. at Piedmont Park Pool, Joining Hearts will once again bring the summer fun to raise awareness and funds to fight HIV/AIDS and to provide assistance to people living with the disease in Atlanta.

Joining Hearts President Jerry Henderson gave Peach ATL all of the deets, plus a few behind-the-scenes secrets on the pool extravaganza, what turning 30 means for the organization, and Joining Hearts’ vision for a continued fight into the future.

ALL WEEKEND LONG

Joining Hearts Weekend also includes a ton of satellite events. Expect partiers to flock to the official Pre-Party at Heretic on Friday, and the official After Party at Ten Atlanta on Saturday night after the main event. There’s even a pre-event workout on Saturday morning to pump your body to its best at Equilibrium Fitness.

PARTY TIME

Joining Hearts’ Host Committee works hard to please hundreds of attendees and stay streamlined and efficient and still fun.

You’ll be greeted by the TLC Rents Flirt Lounge, where you can mingle while being served specialty cocktails, then it’s on to the pool area for dancing and more drinking and mingling.

BIGGER AND BETTER EVERY YEAR.

Previous events had one DJ, but this year finds two headliners, DJs Grind and Joe Gauthreaux, plus an opening set by Atlanta’s own DJ Seth Breezy.

To the music, add a VIP area, vendor booths, and a fireworks spectacular after dark. Henderson says he owes everything to his Board of Directors, Host Committee and Volunteers who give of their time to make a difference.

FIRST TIME GUESTS

If you’re new to the event, take a moment to reflect on the experience and all the hard work the volunteers and hosts put in year-round to raise money for the Joining Hearts community.

DRINKS, FOOD, ENTERTAINMENT, GO!

Delicious bites by Bridge Catering will be available in both the General Admission and VIP areas. E&L Cuisine provides the food in the Ultra VIP. Tito’s Handmade Vodka serves those thirsty libations.

JOINING HEARTS TURNS 30

HIV/AIDS is a global problem and is on the rise in particular urban areas including parts of Atlanta, where the rates of infection among gay and bisexual men are as high as they were in the ‘80s when Joining Hearts began a fight that looked very different than it does today. Today, while death rates have dropped, it’s feared that more people will become infected as cuts in funding to care and services loom across the spectrum.

Joining Hearts works directly with providers to assess needs and define the best leverage for all funds it raises to best impact the current state of HIV/AIDS in Atlanta.

31ST YEAR AND BEYOND.

Despite medical advancement, HIV/AIDS is still deeply stigmatized. Discussions are happening but not enough focus is on prevention and education, Henderson says. The HIV infections rates among gay Atlanta men is an indicator that we are not doing enough as a community and change is needed now, he asserts.

“It’s time to not just have a great time, which we guarantee, but to rip the band aid off and have deeper discussions to make a difference,” Henderson says.

Joining Hearts is Saturday, July 15 at Piedmont Park Pool. Pre-party at Heretic Friday, July 14, and Afterparty with Ten Atlanta following Saturday’s main event. Visit joininghearts.org.

RAISING THE BARS

These Big Peach bartenders will stop at nothing to show you a good time in Gay Atlanta

When you walk into an iconic Atlanta gay bar, the friendly guys on the following pages may be the first faces you see. Whether for an after-work drink, a night on the town, or some down time with your brethren, step right up and let one of them pour you a cocktail.

Photos by Russ Youngblood

ROBIN Oliver, 46 BLAKE’S ON THE PARK

What’s the best thing about Blake’s?

It’s the great mix of fun and friendly people. You will see every human expression walk through the doors of Blake’s at some point. It’s exciting, fun and unexpected.

What’s your favorite drink to make?

Bloody Mary. It’s my favorite thing to drink, so I have my tried and trusted recipe. Have you ever tried a gin Bloody Mary? You should.

Why should customers as for you?

We can talk about any topic from French Existentialism to what to see and do in Atlanta. I have a great smile – and I’m told a great ass!

JAMES Kuhn, 30 BURKHART’S PUB

What do you love about Burkhart’s?

The diversity. Everyone is welcome, and everyone has a great time.

What’s your signature drink?

Strawberry Starburst. It’s a rum-based cocktail that’s sweet and tart. It tastes just like the candy!

Why should patrons come see you?

You’ll always leave with a smile on your face, and have a great time.

FONSY, 30

BJ ROOSTERS

What do you love about BJ’s?

We have the delicious drinks and the dancers to go with it.

What’s your favorite drink to make?

Long Island Iced Tea

Why should customers as for you?

Most of my customers become my friends. Come have a shot with me, and let’s spill the tea!

WILL Smith, 48 BULLDOGS

What do you love about Bulldogs? The drinks. They’re awesome!

What’s your signature drink?

The Ciroc Gang Bang!

Why should guys come see you? Because I and the whole staff here aim to please our customers and make your visit a great experience.

TRAVIS Russo, 27 TEN ATLANTA

What’s the best thing about Ten?

It’s gotta be the good vibes and friendly staff.

What’s your favorite drink to make?

Vodka Soda

Why should guys come to you? For a memorable experience, guaranteed.

KIRBY Morin, 36 ATLANTA EAGLE

What’s your favorite thing about the Eagle? We are welcoming and friendly, we pour great drinks, and we host some of the best DJs in town.

What’s your best mix drink? I make a mean Jack & Coke

Why should patrons belly up to your bar?

I’m friendly and new to Atlanta. Give me advice on the area, and let’s crack a joke. If you don’t have a sense of humor in life, what’s the point?

J-Rod, 35 SWINGING RICHARDS

What’s the best thing about Swinging Richards?

Some say it’s the dancers, but we say it’s the customers.

What’s your signature mixed drink? Red Snapper: Crown, Amaretto and Cran

Why should customers come to you? I always make people smile.

RICHARD Ramirez, 41 THE HERETIC

What do you love about Heretic? It’s a real melting pot with its different variety of events.

What’s your favorite mixed drink? Jack & Coke

Why should patrons ask for you? I’m always ready to serve with a smile.

Joining Hearts Kickoff & After Parties

DJ Eddie Martinez ramps up the excitement for gay Atlanta’s biggest pool party on Friday night, and two DJs rock Saturday’s official after party. Joining Hearts benefits from both as you extend the party with visitors from all over the world.

FRIDAY AT HERETIC

SATURDAY AT TEN ATLANTA joininghearts.org

Casablanca

Before you were even born, before you liked your first boy or pined over your first Hollywood beauty, there was him. There was her. There were hats. There was one of the most revered romances of all time. Now it’s back on the big screen for one night only.

THURSDAY, JULY 20

FOX THEATRE

660 Peachtree St. | foxtheatre.org

Joining Hearts 30

You’ve waited since the first sign of sun for this gay right of passage. DJs Grind and Joe Gauthreaux keep the beat as hundreds of gay men sweat to this year’s 30th Anniversary ‘Flirt’ theme, and it’s all to fight HIV in Atlanta. Read our preview in this issue.

SATURDAY, JULY 15

PIEDMONT PARK AQUATIC CENTER 1345 Piedmont Ave. NE | joininghearts.org

Powder Room with Peppermint

When Atlanta’s alternaqueers set their minds to party, only the Powder Room series can sate their appetites. Speaking of, hope you’re hungry for Peppermint. The RuPaul’s Drag Race runner up headlines a great lineup of local queens and other performances.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 19

HERETIC

2069 Cheshire Bridge Road | hereticatlanta.com

Little Shop of Horrors

One of the gay-inclusive companies and rosters in Atlanta theater brings one of the best camp classics to life. Come see Seymour and Audrey fall in love under the watchful eye of a very hungry plant and to the tune of some of Broadway’s most beloved songs.

JULY 15 - AUG. 20

ACTOR’S EXPRESS

887 West Marietta St. NW | actorsexpress.com

www.SavedAndGay.com

Bars & Clubs

MIDTOWN

Amsterdam amsterdamatlanta.com

502 Amsterdam Ave. NE

Atlanta Eagle atlantaeagle.com

306 Ponce De Leon Ave NE

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

Model T modeltatlanta.com 699 Ponce De Leon Ave NE

My Sister’s Room mysistersroom.com 66 12th St NE

Ten Atlanta tenatlanta.com 990 Piedmont Ave NE

CHESHIRE

BJ Roosters bjroosters.com 2043 Cheshire Bridge Road NE

Opus 1 1086 Alco St NE

Tripps 1931 Piedmont Circle N

Woofs woofsatlanta.com 2425 Piedmont Road NE

ANSLEY

Burkhart’s burkharts.com 1492 Piedmont Ave NE

Felix’s 1510 Piedmont Ave NE

The Hideaway 1544 Piedmont Ave NE

Mixx mixxatlanta.com 1492 Piedmont Ave NE

Oscar’s oscarsatlanta.com 1510 Piedmont Ave NE

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

EAST ATLANTA, GRANT PARK & EDGEWOOD

The Cockpit thecockpit-atlanta.blogspot.com 465 Boulevard SE

Mary’s marysatlanta.com 1287 Glenwood Ave SE

Sister Louisa’s Church sisterlouisaschurch.com 466 Edgewood Ave SE

Swinging Richards swingingrichards.com

1400 Northside Dr NW

Dining

MIDTOWN

10th & Piedmont

communitashospitality.com 991 Piedmont Ave NE

Einstein’s einsteinsatlanta.com 1077 Juniper St NE FROGS Cantina frogsmidtown.com 931 Monroe Dr

G’s communitashospitality.com 219 10th St NE

Henry’s henrysatl.com 132 10th St NE

Joe’s on Juniper joesonjuniper.com 1049 Juniper St NE La Hacienda lahaciendamidtown.com 900 Monroe Dr NE

CHESHIRE

Las Margaritas lasmargaritasmidtown.com

1842 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE

Roxx 1824 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE

ANSLEY

Cowtippers

cowtippersatlanta.com 1600 Piedmont Ave NE

DEKALB

Lips Atlanta atldragshow.com

3011 Buford Hwy NE

Barking Leather After Dark barkingleather.com

306 Ponce De Leon Ave NE CHESHIRE

Barking Leather barkingleather.com 805 Lambert Dr NE

Southern Nights Video 2205 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE

Boy Next Door Menswear boynextdoormenswear.com

1447 Piedmont Ave NE

GCB & Pleasures brushstrokesatlanta.com

1510 Piedmont Ave. NE

Amsterdam Ave NE

Fitness graviteeatl.com 2201 Faulkner Rd NE

Text your Peach Pits to 256-60-PEACH, or e-mail

Love your dress! Love your hair! Hope you win!

You had me singing Stand By Your Man for so long, but a chorus of Goodbye Earl sounded so much better.

I hope you encounter something so beautiful today that it changes your attitude for the better.

How can a guy be so interested in showing you his dick, but hasn’t figured out not to be a dick?

Why don’t so many gay men work on own decision-making ability, or lack thereof, before jumping to judgment on somebody else’s situation?

How about you not try and control everyone around you and worry about yourself?

Sorry, boo. It turns out you can’t talk on the phone and drive. Hang up!

ARIES (Mar. 21 - Apr. 19)

Efforts to get playful with your partner are likely to misfire. Don’t let that stop you, but think twice before acting or speaking up! The “backfire” could just be fun you weren’t expecting or a chance to clear the air.

TAURUS (Apr. 20 - May 20)

Your ruler, Venus, is part of why everyone is working too hard to look good and feel good, so you understand the value of that, but also have a special gift for seeing and cutting through the crap. Trust your instincts, not appearances.

GEMINI (May 21 - Jun. 20)

New insights challenge you to revise your plans, but your new plan B is just a necessary draft. In a few weeks, plan C will be better. Speak your mind but don’t take disagreements personally.

CANCER (Jun. 21 - Jul. 22)

New investments are just sweet talk and fantasy. Recommit to your priorities. That can even open new creative opportunities. Financial arguments can lead to helpful insights or impulse spending. Remember those priorities?

LEO (Jul. 23 - Aug. 22)

Your friends help you look good and you’re eager to return the favor. Efforts on both sides could cause mishaps, nothing serious, but be ready to apologize for embarrassing situations. Stay in good humor. Don’t take yourself too seriously!

VIRGO (Aug. 23 - Sep. 22)

Whatever you want to say, however difficult or unpleasant, will come out. Get it off your chest while you’re calm and eloquent. Save yourself the embarrassing trouble caused by an explosion of temper or resentment.

LIBRA (Sep. 23 - Oct. 22)

Winning people over with your charm doesn’t necessarily mean they agree with you. They don’t need to. Let it be! A little less attention to some of your friends and more for your partner can improve relations on both fronts.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23 - Nov. 21)

Speaking your mind will get you committed to positions and challenges you probably didn’t want, but you can rise to the occasion and even shine. Jog, bike or exercise with a confidante. Sweating and talking will help get your ideas in order.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22 - Dec. 21)

Misunderstandings with your partner could end up being more funny and revealing than problematic. Over-identifying with community ideals or traditions can complicate your efforts toward political progress. Here, too, confused messages can be revealing. Pay attention and keep your sense of humor intact.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 - Jan. 19)

Some colleagues are encouraging you to bite off more than you can chew. Some of them mean well. You need to focus on your own goals and strong suits. You need to adjust your long-range strategy, but make sure you have one!

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20 - Feb. 18)

Efforts at sly wit will probably anger friends. If you really think you’re so clever, write it down and save it for later. Disagreements and confusion with your partner can help draw out suppressed anxieties, helping you to understand and heal lingering old problems.

PISCES

(Feb. 19 - Mar. 20)

Struggling to get ahead at work can leave you wondering who you really are. Let the work define you for now. Perseverance will bring insights. So will mistakes, so learn from them, fix them and stay steady on.

Playmates

ENOUGH ABOUT YOU

Hey, Daddy!

I’m dating a guy who is all about himself. I’m talking every conversation, every meal, situation about-him narcissist. The real trouble is, I date this same type of guy over and over. What’s my problem?

Raging Ego Persists Every Absurd Time

Dear REPEAT:

Whether this guy is a clinical narcissist or just a run-of-the-mill selfish gay man, let’s focus on what you can control: You.

It’s common for us to regularly attract the same type. Maybe you’re a “giver.” Plenty other guys out there would reciprocate, but instead you and selfish pricks attract each other like magnets. His selfish key fits your compliant hole.

Don’t give up being accommodating, but do learn to be a little more “selfish” to your own needs as well as his. Approach men, and your life, differently, and I’ll bet you start getting a different response.

Hey, Daddy!

I have a friend who’s always late. I’ve grown used to it, but he recently kept me and a new acquaintance waiting nearly an hour for dinner. We were starving by the time he got there, and my guest left with a bad impression of both of us.

My friend is full of excuses. How can I convince him that late isn’t cute?

So Upset Could Kill Really

Dear SUCKR:

Accepting occasional trouble with scheduling is part of life, but acceptance of his repeated behavior is also on you. Stop being a doormat to his habitual tardiness.

If your friend writes me, I’ll give him an earful about respecting people’s time, and how grown men are only as good as their word. But since you’re the one writing, I won’t help you try to fix him. That’s not your problem.

You can figure out your friend’s patterns and try to work around them. If he’s perpetually 30, 45, 60 minutes late, factor it in and tell him an earlier start time. If he then has to wait on you sometimes, all the better.

Another option is to continue your plans without him. Warn him how it’s going to be, and stick to your word. When he shows up late and you’re wrapping dinner, he may learn over time. He may not, but no one is left hungry but him.

You are worthy of a man who feels just as lucky to have you as you do him.

DADDY LOVES HIS BOYS

He knows the answers you need, and you’re going to get them. Reach out to him with your burning questions via our editor, Mike@PeachATL.com.

Warning: Advice given in this column is intended for entertainment and novelty purposes. Please proceed at your own risk.

Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Peach v1 i1 | July 12, 2017 by David Atlanta Magazine - Issuu