Peach Magazine V5-13 | The Beat Goes On!

The Beat Goes on dJ dan slater’s Prideful Beats

BRiNGiNG PARTY PEOPLE TOGETHER

dominique Jackson WON’T STOP SURViViNG

registering neW voters

WHY iT’S MORE THAN VOTES

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The past year has taught me how to think about a lot of things very differently. Many of my priorities have shifted, and what was unimaginable just over a year ago has been a lived truth that I have grown accustomed to. Somehow I got through it all – survived if you will - and for that, I am grateful.

Another person who got through it all (and then some!) is Pose star Dominique Jackson, who spoke to Chris Azzopardi about the gender fluidity of her latest role, pushing through the pandemic, and how ‘X-Men’ saved her.

And because we are all hopeful that this year’s Pride will be somewhat normal, Shane Gallagher spoke to DJ and producer Dan Slater (who is also our cover model) about kicking Pride season into gear with his new anthem “We are.” Enjoy!

CONTRIBUTORS Chris Azzopardi Shane Gallagher Dave Mulryan

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Prideful Beats Dan Slater and Zoë Badwi Bring Party People Together in “We Are”

By Shane Gallagher

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Dan Slater and Zoë Badwi are starting the Pride season early with “We Are,” their uplifting and hands-in-the-air summer anthem about standing strong together.

The track debuted last month at Miami’s Winter Party where it was named the weekend’s official anthem. Now the club music label, Swishcraft Music, is releasing the full remix package of “We Are” with tracks by heavyhitting producers Dirty Disco, Toy Armada, and Brett Oosterhaus, among others.

“After the challenging year we have been through, it is important to remember that we need to stay united in solidarity,” says Dan Slater, echoing the main theme of the song.

“We need to remain inclusive and treat everyone respectfully.” he says.

How were gay kids treated in your hometown?

Sydney was a pretty liberal city, but I kept the fact that I did dancing a secret from the kids at school because I didn’t want to get bullied.

Being gay was something that I always thought was just a phase.

I thought it would go away, but it didn’t and I’m glad I’ve had such an accepting and supportive family and inner circle.

What led to your decision to pursue a career in clubland?

Before I even graduated high school, I had some pretty awesome experiences as a professional dancer. I was in the movie Moulin Rouge, danced for Kylie Minogue at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, and toured Australia and Asia in musicals We spoke with Dan from his home like Mamma Mia!, Fiddler On The in Miami.

Roof, and Chicago.

What was it like for you growing up?

I grew up in Sydney, Australia. Both my parents were teachers, so I was a very diligent student. I remember there always being music in the house. Mum would play her favorite musicals, and Dad had his favorites like Christopher Cross, Stevie Wonder and The Jackson 5.

Were you always so devilishly sexy?

I was, and am still, a nerd. Growing up, I was really skinny, but once I began to study dance, I was forced to go to the gym. Something that I still enjoy today.

| 13

That’s incredible!

started working on “We Are” last year and we have another track, “I’ve Been Waiting”, releasing soon.

Whenever I’d get the chance, I’d do an extra club gig. Courtney Act was What make you and Zoë connect the first performer that I worked with! so well?

When I finished dancing, I needed a creative outlet so I secretly learned how to DJ. I got my first gig after We’re both from Australia, but I think we connect so winning The well because Sydney Mardi we are both Gras DJ Spin-Off easy going competition and and willing to have been very compromise fortunate since. on ideas.

What is the goal? Is it to produce more uplifting tracks like “We Are”?

My focus during C o v i d - 1 9 has definitely shifted towards production. I’m trying a new sound, a little disco inspired.

But I definitely want to produce songs that make people happy and gives them that uplifting energy.

How did you come to work with Zoë Badwi on “We Are”?

What is something fans would be surprised to know about Zoë?

She loves to drink tea. We are like two old ladies. Zoë will sit on the couch and have a cup of tea while I enjoy a glass of wine.

What is something fans would be surprised to know about you?

I love Yoga, and now that I have my bike, I I was on an Atlantis Cruise with love going for rides all around Miami.

Wayne G and I mentioned to him that I was working on some original tracks. He connected me with Zoë, Do you have a secret talent? and we started working together. So far, we have released “Respectable”, It wouldn’t be a secret if I told you…

“Sold My Soul” and “Hold Me”. We 14 | follow us @ peachatlmag

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What nutty superstitions do you believe in?

I can’t walk on lines or crack on roads or pavements. Weird, I know..

Why should “We Are” be the anthem for summer 2021?

“We Are” is an uplifting, anthemic track that is about acceptance and inclusivity. It has a positive message which I think we all need right now.

What makes you smile?

Quite time at the beach, and FaceTime with my Mum and the Dan Slater and Zoë Badwi’s “We family.

Are” is available now on Apple, Spotify and on all major music Which celebrity would you most services. like to slide into your DMs? Visit swishcraftmusic.com.

Ryan Gosling… Please!

Follow Dan Slater You find a magic genie bottle.

Facebook:@DJDanSlater What are your three wishes?

Instagram @danielsl8r To go home to Sydney to visit my Twitter @/danielsl8r family! Two: a happy and healthy in 2021. And three, that we can all be a little bit nicer, and accepting of one another.

2020 brought the best and worst out in people.

I’ve never been trolled on social media like I have been in the last twelve months.

How ready are you to get back on the dancefloor?

Absolutely ready!

I said I was only going to take one or two gigs a week. But now I am fully booked until December.

Bring it on!

| 15

registering the neW voter: Why It Is more than registering voters

by Dave Mulryan of Mulryan/Nash

The 2020 elections saw a massive surge of voting, drawing the largest number of voters since the election of 1900. This huge increase in voting showed, with some unexpected results, that the care and feeding of the world oldest and most important democracy really does rest on just one thing: voting. This map shows what happens to voting when we look only at the young vote: Arizona, which birthed Barry Goldwater, and has long been a conservative bastion, turns blue.

Texas turns blue. That this can be attributed to the young vote is hardly a surprise.

The 2018 mid-term elections saw an uptick in voting, as many people, especially the young, voted at higher rates. Although this uptick was welcome, we still have a crisis of voting, in that not enough of us do it.

Why? The Founders, the white men who wrote the constitution, who muscled the adoption of it through the warring factions that made up the original 13 colonies, made compromises to get the 2/3rds of the colonies votes needed to allow its adoption. They allowed the adoption of the compromise that there would be NO federal oversight of voting, that the states would be in charge of all elections, even federal ones. The small colonies were concerned that they would be overwhelmed by the large states, so they insisted on equal numbers of Senators, 2 per state, and used the House Of Representatives as a way for proportional representation. They also restricted voting to white men with property, and for the state legislators to choose their Senators — direct election of Senators would not take place until 1913. Voting

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was for elites, and echoes of that resonate today.

There has been progress — women got the vote in 1919, minorities got the vote when President Lyndon Johnson pushed through the Voting Rights Act, and the Civil Rights Act. He failed to get the voting age lowered to 18, although he tried. Two states, Oregon and Texas, used the federal courts to delay the implementation of 18 year old voting, and the voting age was only lowered after President Nixon brokered a deal, and the constitution was amended to allow for 18 year olds to vote.

So, there has been progress, yet voting remains anemic. Most federal elections are decided with 50% of the eligible voters voting; some elections, like Mayor’s races and school board elections can be decided with as little a 6% of the eligible voters turning out. The 2020 elections, with a presidential race, saw voter turnout in New Mexico of a little over 52%.

This is still awful.

We are now facing a huge bulge of new voters, the millennials, and their numbers are astounding. This chart shows birth rates, and this bulge of population can determine every election, if they choose to vote and choose to register to vote and to vote. The 64,000 dollar question: Will they?

We, Everybody Votes, and The New Mexico Voter Group, have established organizations to focus on registering voters. We have focused on the nuts and bolts of registering voters: setting

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up tables, getting forms, getting the young voter to register, getting the forms to the County Clerk.

Yet, we despair that we are not doing enough.

Many eligible voters, especially the young ones, breeze by us, muttering something vague about “no voting.” We have registered a huge chunk of voters, with few resources, and so we know that it can be done. Yet, we are NOT efficient, we need to scale, we need to have voter registration brought to the fore all over the country. Clearly we could use resources, money, but we also believe that we need a revolution in the person that registers the vote, the Voter Registration Agent. How do we do this?

In short, we need to move voter registration from a passive endeavor to an active one.

Oregon, with its automatic voter registration, is showing how this can work. Vote by mail elections seem to increase participation.

Yet, the adoption of these nationwide seems to be a ways off, and we need to register these voters now.

We have a huge task ahead of us. We have proven, as evidenced by the turnout in the 2020 elections, that voting is the key. The election saw the best turnout in 120 years. We need to continue, and to train and make sure that the people doing voter registration are prepared. They need to know when the next election is. They need to be able to explain the role of the voter in the democratic process. They need to be able to rebut conventional wisdom, in that “My vote doesn’t count,” and explain how that vote DOES count.

None of this will simply happen.

We need a complete curriculum that teaches people to register voters. We need to teach the person that is registering what they need to know: facts, how the process works, what is coming up in the very near term that the new voter will vote on. Stacy Abrams, who led a group that registered 800,000 voters in Georgia, shows what can be done with leadership and political will: she, and her group, will help decide the balance of power in Washington.

If the two Senate seats that are in a runoff can both go Democratic, then the Democrats will hold a razor thin margin in the Senate, giving the Biden Administration the ability to govern.

“We have listened closely to the voters that we do register, and the ones that don’t want to register.

Although we are reluctant to draw broad conclusions, because there was no designed research study, it was simply observational, there was enough data for us to draw some conclusions:” We need resources, we need direction, we need to scale. We can and have identified the problem, The person who registers someone to vote is and we need to quickly implement the solution. the very first contact that people have with the We can do it, if we want to. Do we, as citizens of mechanics of democracy. The Voter Registration the worlds oldest and most important democracy, Agent needs to be prepared to both register the have the will to do this? I hope we do. I believe voter, and to give the person registering a reason we can.

WHY to register, and why they need to vote. That is asking a lot, but it seems to be the requirement Dave Mulryan is the Co-Founder of Everybody to have a successful encounter.

Vote, a group that registers high school Seniors to vote. He is President of Mulryan/Nash 1. Few states require any training for people Advertising, Inc. that want to register other voters. New Mexico, which requires a training class, is one of the strongest. Their training, handled by the county clerks, requires an understanding of the registration form, and requires a formal issuance of a voter registration number. The state issues a VRA certificate, and assigns a number, which allows for the tracking of the activities of the Voter Registration Agent.

2.

We have, in New Mexico, a huge number of people who have taken the class required to register their fellow citizens to vote. Yet, we have few who actually do it. It appears that many people are willing to register others to vote, but then after taking the class, they fail to do so. We hypothesize that many of the VRA’s feel ill-equipped to register voters, even after the class, so they don’t. | 17

Dominique Jackson Won’t Stop Surviving

By Chris Azzopardi Photos: Starz

Model and actress Dominique Jackson can’t say a thing about the third and final season of one of the most groundbreaking LGBTQ+ series ever made. It’s mid February when we connect, just weeks before it was announced that seven new episodes of “Pose,” the FX drama about New York’s drag ball subculture during the HIV/AIDS crisis, will premiere May 7. And then it will end, with a tide-changing legacy forever linked to its name.

When it debuted in 2018, the series set a record for the number of out LGBTQ+ people in its cast, especially trans women of color. At the time of our talk, Jackson said the cast was in the process of shooting. But when pushed to offer even the slightest tease of what’s to come, she remained playfully taciturn about her character: “All I can tell you is Elektra is going to be Elektra.”

Elektra Wintour, of course, is the fiercely resilient house mother, who last season formed her new house, the House of Wintour, and went full-on dominatrix. In season two’s last episode, in a leather bustier, with a whip in her hand, she ordered a client to heel. And then there’s that dead client whose body she housed in her apartment.

So no, Jackson’s life doesn’t completely mirror that of her character. But their experiences are, to some degree, shared. Like Elektra, who is the fictional protégé of ball-culture icons like Crystal LaBeija, Pepper LaBeija and Paris Dupree, Jackson also found refuge in the underground world of ballroom culture while in Baltimore and New York in the ’90s, after a period of childhood trauma she experienced while living in the dual-island nation Trinidad and Tobago.

She jumped around to several houses primarily populated by Black and Latinx trans outsiders, eventually settling into the House of Sinclair in NYC, a safe haven that helped her survive homelessness and substance abuse.

Aside from her breakout role on “Pose,” Jackson is upending gender norms on the third season of the Starz series “American Gods,” a series about the culture clashing of Old and New Gods. She embodies the latest incarnation of the shape-shifting “Mr. World” as a ferocious, bat-wielding, glam Black woman, now called “Ms. World.”

Just after giving a keynote address at the National LGBTQ Task Force’s Creating Change conference, which was virtual this year, Jackson spoke about how reliving Elektra helped her survive the pandemic and why “Pose” actors other than Billy Porter deserve awards acknowledgement. She also explained how the superhero fantasy world of “X-Men” aided in her survival as a trans woman, even though she initially hesitated because “everyone, the people, are talking about it” on the internet. In other words, they really, really want Dominique Jackson to play Storm.

How’re you doing? How has lockdown been for you this past year?

Lockdown was kind of a push to revitalize myself, a push to really look back at myself, look back at my life, understand the things that were happening for me and start to create what I wanted. Of course, in the beginning, there was a panic, there was great fear, there were even times where I just felt like, you know, just give up. Because during the pandemic, we were locked down and it was like, “Oh my gosh, I’m

blessed with all these amazing opportunities and now I’m gonna lose them.” There was that fear.

And then George Floyd was murdered and that just pushed everything over the top. And trans women were being murdered back to back every week. I was ready to give up. I didn’t give up, but I was ready to give up. I just felt like there’s no place for us in this world. If they were killing Black men, what are they gonna do to trans women? And there we were being murdered.

What kept you going?

I’m the type of person that I really looked into myself first. I tried to find out what I could do to make things better, and in speaking to people and doing little Electra things on TikTok, it gave me hope reliving my character, to really just do something besides just sit in the house and worry.

My fiancé and I were doing challenges together. That really helped to brighten me up, pull me out a bit.

And I realized that sitting there and panicking was not going to help me. It was just gonna make me sick. It was gonna keep me in that depressive mode, and I had to fight through it. I remember how I fought through not having a green card and fought through wanting to be on television, just fighting all my life, and I was like, “Now is not the time for me to stop.”

I read recently that when we’re experiencing despair it’s important for us to remember past moments of resilience in our lives. It can get you out of that spiral.

Yeah, it did.

You famously don’t do many interviews. Based on what I’ve read, you don’t like talking so much about your success, because you kind of feel like it paints a false narrative for the trans community as a whole. Is that right?

Well, yeah. I’m really selective with interviews because I feel like sometimes it’s just, “OK, let me get the story.” And you give the story, and you keep reliving your traumas. It’s just something that is put out there over and over and over again; it becomes exhausting reliving your trauma. I’m reliving trauma by some of the things that we have to do on “Pose.”

So, for me, I want interviews to be about and really for my community. I really want them to have a message that’s going to be sent to my community, and not just an article to say, “Oh, we represented the trans community; we have Dominique Jackson.”

So how do you navigate that behind the scenes? How do you know who to talk to and who not to?

I’m a person that believes in doing research, and I have a great management team. So they know exactly what I’m looking for. And the other thing is, I’m about my work, and I’m about putting that onto the screen.

And I put everything that I have (into it), because I want people to understand that being trans is just a part of my journey. That doesn’t mean that I can’t be a great actor. It doesn’t mean I can’t be the best doctor there is, it doesn’t mean that I can’t mow the lawn or lay concrete. It doesn’t limit me. And I want my community to know that hard work does pay off.

I’m curious to know what some of the questions are about being a trans woman that you don’t want to answer anymore. And do you feel like it’s a tricky situation that you’re in given the fact that you’ve become this accidental activist?

Well, yes, and you see that’s why I’m selective with my interviews. Because I am, kind of, and that’s what I’ve been deemed. It was not what I was trying to do.

It just happened. I realized I was getting so many responses on Instagram of how I inspire people, and I was looking at myself going, “Who, me?” For me, it’s not about, “Oh, look at me, I’m an activist.” It’s just that I know that I want what I want, and I know that I’m going to have to work hard to get to it.

And questions — it depends. If I’m speaking at

a college or I’m speaking to my community, it’s a different story. But when it comes to my surgeries, some people ask some really stupid questions like, “What made you want to do that?” And I also have a book. So I feel like, you know, sometimes people can just read the book. I mean, it’s as raw as possible.

And you know, you can get that information.

I’d like to shift gears to “American Gods.” From what I understand, you didn’t even have to audition for the show; the role was offered to you. Before, you had to really fight for roles. So what did it mean to you to just be offered a role like this?

It was beyond phenomenal. It was just a thing of like, I’m validated, I’m seen, they see me as an actor. And that’s what this is all about: It’s about the visibilities, about being seen, it’s about being acknowledged, and being acknowledged so that people don’t fear you. This is not about acknowledgement and validity to say, “Oh, look, I’m a queen.” This is about: I am here, I am a human being just like you, so see me, allow me the comfort and allow me the ability to fail, if that’s how you see it. But don’t judge me just based on my journey as a woman.

Do you find that you are now being offered more roles in general?

(Laughs.) Well, I’ve only really been offered two. (The other was in the movie) “Chick Fight,” and still, of course, I did a little reading for them. It feels great.

It’s just a phenomenal feeling, and to know that at times I felt ashamed that I didn’t go to school for this. But it just goes to show that sometimes, some things are just in you.

Working at (Bronx LGBTQ Community Center) Destination Tomorrow and raising kids in the past, I always say, “You have to guide kids,” because if someone was there to say to me, “Look, I see you like to build characters and act, I see you love the stage” instead of limiting me from the stage by saying to me, “Look, only girls do that” or making it about gender — it was limiting to me. And so, when I danced and I did ballet, I was laughed at, and I was like, “Listen, I wasn’t even doing this for anything but for the art, for the love of being able to escape normality for a second and bring something else to life and see people enjoy it.” I loved when I danced and people just sat in awe. It made me feel like I had purpose.

Is that the same feeling you get when people watch you as Elektra and they tell you how much they love you in that role?

Sometimes that can be a bit overwhelming, because, again, I wasn’t receiving love like that before. So it’s like, “Wow.” It’s comforting to the heart, it makes me feel like I’m a part of the human race. It makes me feel like I belong.

Regarding your role as Ms. World on “American Gods,” what do you think that we can learn from her?

Well… (laughs), that’s a really, um, kind of difficult question to answer since this lady is walking around busting heads open with bats. So, I don’t recommend that you walk around, bashing people in the head with bats for having an opinion. But Ms. World, again, it’s about a woman, and people don’t understand, when you are marginalized, anything that you get makes you feel like you are coming out of that when you have faced oppression.

So, as a Caribbean woman, as an immigrant, as a Black woman, as a trans woman — as all these women combined to make my whole — I see strings, I see power, I see now we’re not looking to those that are in power. When we create Loki, it’s usually this male thing. So therefore, when we see Ms. World, we see that a God can transform, a God can change, and Mr. World now is of the world. And being of the world, you should be inclusive of everyone.

How have superhuman fantasy roles been helpful to you in navigating your own identity?

Well, OK, I don’t want to really say this, but I have to.

Because I really don’t wanna talk about it, because everyone, the people, are talking about it. For me, I’m just honored by them talking about this: But growing up the X-Men was very dear to my heart.

Because, at that time, I was basically homeless, and couch-surfing at times. A group of us were staying at one of our friend’s grandmother’s houses; she was in the hospital at the time. And so we were all gathered there because that was our place to stay for the moment. I didn’t have to pay for a hotel for the night; it meant that I didn’t have to go to the street.

So when we found comfort and warmth, we kind of gathered there. And there was the “X-Men” saga, “The Dark Phoenix Saga,” that was playing at that time, and we were just so enthralled.

And while growing up, of course, I watched the “X-Men” and I loved them. I loved them, but it was in that moment, and again in meeting my children’s family in Baltimore, and then coming to New York, we all watched the “X-Men” because the “X-Men” represented us. We would go to the grocery store and help someone carry groceries. We would do everything for someone, and they would still turn around and talk down to us and curse at us and throw things at us. Imagine you helped someone to their car with their groceries and they turn on the light and they realize that you’re different and then they take their fruit and throw it at you and tell you to get away from them. You just helped them.

constantly by things that we overcame in life, and constantly giving it back and giving all our energy just to be able to show people what we go through and those that are going through it that they’re not alone. So, I believe that recognition should be there for my castmates. For myself, I really, really want to be undeniably everything. I really want to go into fantasy roles. I believe that there’s a lot more I have to learn and I have to give before I start receiving awards. (Laughs.) I’m so serious because I just feel like, you know, Elektra is me. She’s dear to my heart.

She is the woman that I said I would never become, but the woman that I was surrounded by all my life. I want the opportunity to show that I can play outside myself, like with “American Gods.” Give me a vampire role and I am there.

When it comes to trans representation, what is the next frontier? Where do we go from “Pose,” which has been so groundbreaking, obviously.

Yeah, “Pose” has been extremely groundbreaking, but we have other things that have come about. We have “Legendary” on HBO Max. Hollywood is opening their eyes and realizing that this is not just a cash cow. These stories need to be told, and especially in this time. I feel like we are gathering all these stories, telling the truth of everything, removing the blinders from people’s faces, so that we can move forward and really, really get to equality.

For me, Storm had an accent; I’m Caribbean. So Storm was just my girl, my go-to. I love her character.

I love everything about her. And it was the resilience, the beauty of her, the resilience of where she came from as Ororo Munroe, from her origin stories of being in her village, of even having a nephew and going back wanting to help her village but yet she protects her village even when they called her the Weather Witch. But she still protects them. And I see that in a lot of the trans community. We are so pushed to the side, but yet we’re there to be mothers, we’re there to be fathers. We’re there to protect people. We have kids of our own. So the superhero fantasy, for me, was always her, because it not only helped us escape, but it let me know that people saw and would realize that at some point in time that being different or strange from what society deemed to be the norm didn’t make us bad people.

You have no idea, if you sit back and listen to the things that people would say about us, I would even be afraid of myself. Before I even understood who I was, I would hear people speak, and the way in which they spoke about people like myself, I was like, “Oh my god, I need to kill myself because I know I’m different.”

I feel like every young person needs a role model like that, because oftentimes we don’t have ones in real life to look to, so we have to look to imaginary characters.

She-Ra: Princess of Power was another one. I love She-Ra. Regarding “Pose,” what are your thoughts on the response from the LGBTQ community who think it’s time for other actors from the series to be recognized for their roles and their accomplishments on the show?

Well, yes, I do believe that my castmates should be recognized for their work, especially Angelica Ross and Mj Rodriguez. Billy has been given his flowers, and I am extremely ecstatic for him for that. As far as Indya (Moore) and the rest of the girls, I do believe that they should have been nominated at least for some of the awards. Because we’re not just telling a true story or doing research to tell a true story — we’re telling our own lives.

We are reliving our trauma, we are being triggered

-As editor of Q Syndicate, the LGBTQ wire service, Chris Azzopardi 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.

APRIL SPECIALS

MONDAYS $3 SHEEP DOG

TUESDAYS

FRIDAYS

$4 SMIRNOFF ORANGE COCKTAILS & $17 BEER BUCKETS

$4 SMIRNOFF COCKTAILS ALL FLAVORS

SATURDAYS

WEDNESDAYS

$6 ABSOLUT $8 ABSOLUT & RED BULL

THURSDAYS

SUNDAYS

$10 KETEL ONE MARTINIS $6 JAMESONS & $6 ABSOLUT

$6 STOLI

THE PLACE TO BE !

1544 PIEDMONT AVE, NE, ATLANTA, GA 30324 ANSLEY MALL BEHIND PUBLIX

| 21

EASTER ON THE SQUARE @ MIDTOWN MOON Photos by Russ Bowen-Youngblood

JOEY JAY/ BE BOLD ENTERTAINMENT @ DISTRICT Photos by Russ Bowen-Youngblood

CARSON COWAN REALTOR® c. 404.998.9944 / o. 404.874.0300 / carson@carsoncowan.com / CarsonCowanRealEstate

Atlanta Fine Homes, LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each franchise is independently owned and operated.

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LET’S CHAT

with Marci and Ginger

A Talk Radio and chat show by Atlanta legendaries Marci Alt and Ginger Nichols Join the dynamic duo as they explore current issues, share life experiences, and dive into the topics that you want to hear about!

Tune in to the next LIVE show on 04.24.2021 @ 9pm Marci & Ginger chat with Jen, Jamie & You Call in Live show @ 404-777-4480 Available on peachatl.com, meakproductions.com, and Mixcloud NEXT TIME

PEACH MEDIA & PRINTING

Let’s Chat is an official Talk Radio Show of Peach Media and coproduced & sponsored by Meak Productions, Inc.

Available on peachatl.com, meakproductions.com, and Mixcloud.

JOEY JAY/ BE BOLD ENTERTAINMENT @ DISTRICT Photos by Russ Bowen-Youngblood

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Jared was born in Las Vegas, NV, and moved to Georgia with no definite plan five weeks after graduating high school with a few bags and $300 to his name. He now works as a paralegal for Ganek PC’s real estate law firm in Poncey-Highland. His interests include drinking iced coffee, educating himself on current events, theatre, and dance, and staying active with fitness. He also enjoys the Atlanta LGBT+ nightlife, traveling to new places with his fiancé, Dorian, and being a dog dad to their Shiba Inu, Amaru.

IG @Itcouldonlybejared

JAREDLANCE HUSTON

Meet Our Newest Peach As the newest addition to the Peach Sales Team, you’ll be seeing a lot more of Josh!

We’re here to showcase your business and services, so give Josh a call!

PRINT ADVERTISING • DIGITAL PROMOTION EVENT MARKETING • PRINT SOLUTIONS Josh King josh@peachatl.com (404) 814-3014 – ext. 702

PEACH MEDIA & PRINTING

aPr 7 - 14

We believe in safety first, so this lineup features mainly virtual events or in-person events with limited capacity that enforce CDC guidelines. Please keep yourself updated on an event’s status as it may change last-minute.

Out On Film: Bloodthirsty + Q&A Out On Film screens the Lesbian werewolf thriller, Bloodthirsty, followed by a Q&A with the director and two out actresses. Tickets via Eventive.

April 16 – 18 Online screening via Eventive

Wussy West End Market The Artist Market presented by WUSSY and Chaka Khan Hacienda returns with a new location. Enjoy lots of local vendors, food, and drinks – and the launch of the latest issue of Wussy!

Sunday, April 18, 11 am – 6 pm Lee+White parking lot at Wild Heaven Beer, (1020 White St. SW) Plants & Pals: Earth Gay The Georgia Tech Lavender Alumni (GTLA) will be hosting an event to discuss everything from plant care to environmental activism in the LGBTQIA community. Tickets by Eventbrite.

Thursday, April 22, 7 – 8:30 pm Online Event

Cholo Vibras Come dance through the sunset and toast to better days ahead para nuestra gente. Estoria will serve food and beverages, and Choloteca DJs Esme, La Superior, Malcriada, and Brian Rojas will provide the dance vibras.

Thursday, April 22, 7 – 11 pm Estoria

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MIDTOWN 1

Monroe Dr. NE

14

Amsterdam Ave.

12th St. NE

NE ve . tA

Piedmont Park

on

11

dm

6

18

Pi e

Juniper St. NE

14th St. NE

7

9

10th St. NE

. NE

19

oe Dr

e. NE Piedmont Av

M

Juniper St . NE

3

Monr

Charle s Alle n Dr . N E

12

Peachtree St. NE

15

2

10

W. Peachtree St. NW

C

16

P o n ce D e Leo n Pl . N E

Spring St. NW

17

4th St. NE

Y

8

13

Ponce De Leon Ave. NE

CM

4

Ponce De Leon Ave. NE MY

CY

CMY

K

BARS

Dining

2 Blake's 3 Bulldogs 4 Friends

227 10th St NE 893 Peachtree St NE 736 Ponce De Leon Ave NE

6 My Sister’s Room 7 Ten Atlanta

66 12th St NE 990 Piedmont Ave NE

10 th & Piedmont Campagnolo Einstein's F.R.O.G.S

991 Piedmont Ave NE 980 Piedmont Ave NE 1077 Juniper St NE 931 Monroe Cir NE

clubs 13 Atlanta Eagle

306 Ponce De Leon Ave NE

fitness

retail 8 BarkingLeather

9 10 11 12

306 Ponce De Leon Ave NE

14 Urban Body Fitness 500 Amsterdam Ave NE

spa/bath 15 Flex Spa

76 4th St. NW

16 17 18 19

G’s Midtown Henry’s Joe's on Juniper La Hacienda

219 10th St NE 132 10th St NE 1049 Juniper St NE 900 Monroe Dr NE

billards/Darts drag dancers leather non-smoking area Patio

When the world throws you Let be your savedandgay.com

Cheshire

ansley 21

Rd

NE

.

on tC ir .

Piedmont Park BARS 2043 Cheshire Bridge Rd 1086 Alco St NE 1931 Piedmont Cir NE

1842 Cheshire Bridge Rd 1824 Cheshire Bridge Rd

32 33 34 35 36

Midtown Moon Felix's The Hideaway Mixx Oscar's

1510 Piedmont Ave Suite A 2205 Cheshire Bridge Rd 2069 Cheshire Bridge Rd 1739 Cheshire Bridge Rd

Fitness 2201 Faulkner Rd NE

Spa / bath 2135 Liddell Drive NE

1492 Piedmont Ave NE 1510 Piedmont Ave NE 1544 Piedmont Ave NE 1492 Piedmont Ave NE 1510 Piedmont Ave NE

Dining 38 Eclectic Bistro

clubs

30 Gravitee Fitness

39

36 38

Retail

28 Heretic 29 Tokyo Valentino

e. nt mo ed

20

Dining

26 Barking Leather 27 Southern Nights

41

Pi

28

BARS

24 Las Margaritas 25 Roxx

Av

ge Rd Ches

hire

Brid

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ge

E

.

r.

.N

Rd

Dr

26 35

25 id Br

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40

32

24

20 BJ Roosters 21 Sequel 22 Tripps

42 The Den

36

nr

hir

31 er

Mo

dm

es

ll D

kn

27

33

. NE

Pi e

29

Ch

idde

ul

IX

34

x Rd

Manchester St. NE

Piedmont Rd. NE

22

42 L

Fa

BL

Le no

30

Lambert Dr.

PU

St.

.

A l co

1600 Piedmont Ave NE 1425 Piedmont Ave NE

Retail 39 Boy Next Door 1447 Piedmont Ave NE 40 Brushstrokes/Pleasures 1510 Piedmont Ave NE

Fitness 41 Equilibrium Fitness

1529 Piedmont Ave, Suite L

NOT SHOWN

Mary's Sister Louisa’s Church Swinging Richards Lips Atlanta The T Woof's

1287 Glenwood Ave SE 466 Edgewood Ave SE 1400 Northside Dr NW 3011 Buford Hwy NE 465 Boulevard SE 494 Plasters Ave NE

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

BARS & CLUBS MIDTOWN 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 MY SISTER’S ROOM mysistersroom.com 66 12th St NE TEN ATLANTA tenatlanta.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 SEQUEL 1086 Alco St NE TRIPPS 1931 Piedmont Circle N

ANSLEY MIDTOWN MOON 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 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 SWINGING RICHARDS swingingrichards. com 1400 Northside Dr NW

DINING MIDTOWN 10TH & PIEDMONT 10thandpiedmont. com 991 Piedmont Ave NE EINSTEIN’S einsteinsatlanta. com 1077 Juniper St NE FROGS CANTINA frogsmidtown.com 931 Monroe Dr G’S gsmidtown.com 219 10th St NE

RETAIL MIDTOWN BARKING LEATHER AFTER DARK barkingleather.com 306 Ponce De Leon Ave NE CHESHIRE SOUTHERN NIGHTS VIDEO 2205 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE ANSLEY BOY NEXT DOOR MENSWEAR boynextdoormenswear.com 1447 Piedmont Ave NE

HENRY’S henrysatl.com 132 10th St NE

GCB & PLEASURES brushstrokesatlanta. com 1510 Piedmont Ave. NE

JOE’S ON JUNIPER joesonjuniper.com 1049 Juniper St NE

BARKING LEATHER barkingleather.com 1510 Piedmont Ave Suite A

LA HACIENDA lahaciendamidtown. com 900 Monroe Dr NE

MIDTOWN

CHESHIRE LAS MARGARITAS lasmargaritasmidtown.com 1842 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE ROXX 1824 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE DEKALB LIPS ATLANTA atldragshow.com 3011 Buford Hwy NE

FITNESS URBAN BODY FITNESS urbanbodyfitness.com 500 Amsterdam Ave N

CHESHIRE

GRAVITEE FITNESS graviteeatl.com 2201 Faulkner Rd NE

SPAS/BATHS ADULT FLEX SPA flexspas.com 76 4th St NW CHESHIRE THE DEN thedenatlanta.com 2135 Liddell Drive NE

peach CLASSIFIEDS

Atlanta’s premier for as little as

LGBT MAGAZINE

35 per week! $

Email jeff@peachatl.com for more information.

10 Things to

Do While You Wait for the World to Turn Back to Normal!

Vaccinations are being rolled out, and there is light at the end of the tunnel – BUT we still have to adhere to guidelines that keep us safe and healthy, so here are a few things to keep you occupied until the world is back to normal.

1.

Wardrobe Refresh You know, does it bring you joy?

Did you even wear it last year?

6.

Plant Something!

How about an herb garden or veggie patch?

2.

Self-Care Grooming Relax with a facial mask or attempt a self-mani/pedi

7.

Check in With Family Your granny, parents, siblings, and chosen fam needs you to socially isolate together

3.

Start a Blog or Podcast Wherein lies your expertise?

Share it with the world!

8.

Get Creative Arts and crafts, creative writing, or perhaps painting?

4.

Learn a New Skill Knitting, Spanish, Drawing, Coding?

9.

5.

Get in a Fitness Routine Not the easiest, but set aside at least 30 minutes a day for exercise

Practice Makes Perfect What’s that one thing you struggle with? Now is a great time to finetune that skill

10. Get Inspired

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TED Talks or YouTube tutorials can ignite your resolve

www.peachatl.com

Playmates and soul mates...

Atlanta:

678-528-2525

18+ MegaMates.com

We’re closer to Atlanta than you think!

Get the details on our website calendar.

Membership Required * Must be 21 to Enter

Pool Opens April 1!

24-Hour Day Passes Available!

RV Sites Heated Cabins Tent Sites 706-213-8081 www.camptheriversedge.com

The Rivers Edge Campground, 2311 Pulliam Mill Road, Dewy Rose, GA 30634

It’s that time again

E-mail your Peach Pits to mikkel@PeachATL.com

What do you mean?

Picture this: there are gay couples a year into their new relationship who haven’t seen each other drunk at the bar Guys I find attractive: Famous, taken, twice my age, doesn’t like me back, don’t know I exist, not real

BySpring cuttingisoff the sleeves here! of all your t-shirts?

So? it comes every year Yeah, but I become a slut every damn Spring

Uhm, you’re a slut all year round

My momma said you can’t work from home ‘cause you ain’t got no pole Venmo is the best record to tell who is sleeping with who

Vaccinated is apparently the new gray sweatpants!

Asking for a friend Brunch means stuffing your face and drunk by 4pm, right?

Daddy Joke Alert How do you sleep at night knowing people don’t like you?

With no underwear in case they want to kiss my a**

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VIRGO (AUG. 23 - SEP. 22) Problems with a relationship only strengthens your resolve to make it work. Get him involved and talk about it. Better yet, make plans to share some entertaining activities with him today. By not being so critical, and keeping things light, you might be able to put the ‘fun’ back in dysfunction.

LIBRA (SEP. 23 - OCT. 22) You love fashion and a recent successful move gives you a well-deserved edge. You love mixing and matching and it’s time to flaunt your finely honed sense of style. Buy yourself something pretty today, preferably in pink, pale green, and shades of blue. Don’t worry about affording it. If the devil can wear Prada, why can’t you?

ARIES (MAR. 21 - APR. 19)

SCORPIO (OCT. 23 - NOV. 21)

Things have been seemingly slow for the past year, but things are picking up speed again. In your drive for success, the on-ramp may not be readily apparent. Find the best approach by slowing down and waiting for opportunity to present itself. Make sure you’re ready to step on the gas when the light turns from red to green.

After having everything seemingly come to a stall for the past months, getting the ball rolling will prove easy today as roadblocks fall, and friends are receptive to your leadership. Even your partner will be impressed with your skill in implementing plans and communicating ideas.

TAURUS (APR. 20 - MAY 20)

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22 - DEC. 21)

Living during a pandemic has deeply changed your views on people in your immediate (and socially distanced) surroundings. You will gain a deeper understanding of a person or situation if you look at things from a different angle. Your own personal ideals and sense of purpose may also undergo a sea change as your enlightenment grows.

The focus will be on finances right now as unexpected expenses cut into your mad money.

Since a sugar daddy isn’t readily available, some belt tightening may be in order. Be smart about how you spend, as you may have to live on the cheap for a bit, or at least until the next paycheck.

GEMINI (MAY 21 - JUN. 20)

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22 - JAN. 19)

Dynamics in your relationship have changed in the last year. Confusing undercurrents abound as your partner becomes more like your boss than your lover. There may be something he’s not telling you, and it’s what he’s not saying that has you concerned. Through gentle persuasion he could reveal a personal problem that’s causing his recent change in behavior.

You’ve admired him from a social distance, and you’ve finally caught his eyes above the masked face. Now what? Good energy and confidence in yourself has gotten you this far, so don’t stop now. Taking things slow, or at a pace you like, will pay off, as you impress him with your quiet, yet steadfast pursuit.

CANCER (JUN. 21 - JUL. 22)

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20 - FEB. 18)

How well you deal with a problem could spell the difference between a great day and a crappy one. Your proven ability to turn snatch victory from the claws of defeat may be tested as a solution could call for extreme measures that make you uncomfortable. But if you have learned anything from the last year, it’s that you have excellent people skills and can make just about anything work.

Managing a roomful of monkeys banging on buckets may be easier than handling your pals in the group text today. You may have to dish out some discipline if anything is going to get done, a position the water bearer is never comfortable with. Do it with tact and grace, and they could see things your way and making plans will suddenly be much easier.

LEO (JUL. 23 - AUG. 22)

PISCES (FEB. 19 - MAR. 20)

Whether you have been quite the gym bunny or you have been turning looks lately, you feel really good about yourself. This gives you an even higher sense of ego, but don’t go overboard on the flexing and posing while looking at yourself in the mirror. Others will get bored with your ‘look at me’ preening, and you risk looking silly.

A group you are part of suddenly finds itself rudderless, drifting along without direction. Take charge by helping to find someone who will take the reins. You’ll need someone who is loyal, dedicated and who leads with a quiet aura of empathy. Sound like someone you know? This is the perfect time for you to be part of a volunteer board or involved with charitable giving.

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