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Pride Full: 10 Reasons I’m Thankful I’m Gay

Richard E. Grant Puts His Best Heel Forward An Aging Queen Gets His Swan Song EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW and where to go for “your” Pride

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The Best Things to Expect From OUT NIGHT 2.0 OUT NIGHT 2.0 – the reinvention of the traditional Friday night Pride Weekend kickoff that Georgia Aquarium has hosted over the past 11 years – returns this Friday, Oct. 8, after taking hiatus last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s what to expect from this year’s over-the-top extravaganza.

Enjoy a performance by “Legendary”’s House of Balenciaga

Stars of the HBO Max hit show “Legendary” will perform at 8:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. in Oceans Ballroom.

Members of House of Balenciaga, founded by Harold and Raquel Balenciaga in 2002, promise to bring “the glitz, the glamour” during their stage routine Sharks, sharks and more sharks! reminiscent of the recent voguing dance competition TV show. Members include House Mother Shannon All guests will experience new additions to Georgia Balenciaga, Kalik, ChaCha, Jupiter, and Honey.

Aquarium, including the new SHARKS! Predators of the Deep exhibit featuring four types of shark species “I became a member and involved with House of in a new gallery with over one million gallons of Balenciaga in 2012 after a split with the House of water. Georgia Aquarium also has a newly renovated Khan,” Shannon says. “Being a house mother means ballroom along with a new state-of-the-art guest so much. You have the ability to make change in entrance. people’s lives as well as being loved and loving on others.”

All guests can expect full aquarium touring access plus all of the following offerings: The House of Balenciaga will celebrate its 20th year anniversary in 2022 with a grand ball in Atlanta.

Dolphin Pride Celebration presentation “My vision for the House of Balenciaga is to Dolphin Theater opens at 7:15 p.m. Doors close at become one of the leading nonprofit organizations 7:55 p.m. The show will begin at 8 p.m. sharp. There to help bridge the gap between the LGBTQ+ and will be no late entry due to special effects. Seating heterosexual communities within the ballroom will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. community,” Shannon adds.

Sponsored by BE FLAWLESS Facial Aesthetics Even more fun Dance the night away to three DJs

Libations will flow at several bars within the ballroom.

DJ BRETT OOSTERHAUS (NYC) – Main Central Atrium, 7 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.

Say cheese at selfie photo-booth stations, sponsored DJ VICKI POWELL (Atlanta) – Ocean Voyager by Peach ATL magazine.

Gallery, 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

DJ NEON (Atlanta) – Oceans Ballroom, 7 p.m. to Complimentary Pride swag, sponsored by AVITA 11:30 p.m.

Pharmacy, will be available starting at 10:30 p.m. at the aquarium exit.

For more details and to purchase tickets for OUT NIGHT 2.0 at the Georgia Aquarium, please visit www.georgiaaquarium.org/outnight. |7

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Phntasmagorium

Thursday 10/7 @10 PM Sweet Dreams

Music by DJ K Squared

Pride Kickoff Party with Brigitte Bidet

Friday 10/8 at 10 PM Guest Performance Beautiful Nightmare

Music by DJ Skrilla

by Michael Aquarium After Party with Molly Robinson Rimswell

Saturday 10/9

Day time Chicago House

by DJ Delusional Dreamland Party Mealhouse Mimosa Bar and Day Party Fire Performance 12:30 PM

by Bryce Smithe Pride Glow Party with Nicole Paige Brooks and Alissah Brooks

10 PM

Day time Chicago stylings of DJ Mealhouse

Late night party w/ DJ AF

Sunday 10/10

Dream Come True

Bloody Mary Bar and Day Party

DJ Kinzie Q's 12:30 PM Birthday Pride Closeout Party with Brigitte Bidet Extravaganza 10 PM FelixsAtlanta.info

FelixsAtlanta

FelixsAtlanta

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Pride Full: 10 Reasons I’m Thankful I’m Gay

by Mikey Rox

Like many of you, I was once confused about my sexual orientation.

There were times as a teenager that I would stand in front of my bathroom mirror, staring into my own eyes, and cry – trying to figure out what was wrong with me. Why did I feel so different? Why wasn’t I like the other boys? Even after I came out in my early 20s, despite that I had mostly come to terms with being gay, I sometimes wished I were straight. Life would be so much easier that way.

But as you know, with age comes wisdom – and selfacceptance. Now, at age 40, I look back on that time and reflect on just how wrong I was. Because I’ve learned over the years that being gay is a blessing – even when it was in disguise.

As ATL Pride and the holidays approach and we express gratitude for all that we have, I give thanks that I’m a homosexual – and a proud one. Here are 10 reasons why.

1. Compassion and empathy come naturally Being picked on, called a faggot by your classmates, and physically and emotionally abused by your family aren’t easy things to reconcile as a gay adolescent and young adult – especially when I felt completely alone in the world – but there was a silver lining: Instead of letting those circumstances undermine who I am, I turned the pain into something positive.

I know what it feels like to be called names and spat on and beaten for being different, and everyday those memories inform how I treat others. In hindsight, many people lack compassion and empathy because they’ve never known what it feels like to need and want it. Which sort of raises a question, doesn’t it? If we all started beating the bigots’ asses, maybe they’d start to recognize how a little kindness goes a long way? Santa, if you’re listening…

2. No accidental babies

LGBT community I grew up in a family and in a town and in an era that had rarely, if ever, seen a gay person who wasn’t a drag queen or a pedophile or dying of AIDS, which, to be honest, has helped me forgive them for their ignorance. They didn’t know any better because they didn’t have personal experience with us. I like to think that’s why the universe gave me to them. Not to put me through years of angst and duress, but rather to open their closed minds and hearts to that which was unfamiliar – and I think I’ve done a good job so far.

5. Naked men I can appreciate the human body in all its form – being a homosexual doesn’t exempt me from recognizing a beautiful woman when I see one – but the naked, medium-hairy, reasonably fit man, according to my own bias, is the greatest gift for which I will never need a receipt.

6. I live by my own rules I spent my entire life (up to the day I no longer had to rely on my parents for financial support) apologizing for being gay and trying to appease those who didn’t understand what that means. Two decades later, I’ve come a long way. Today, I don’t give a flying fuck what anybody thinks about my sexual orientation.

This is my life. Come along or don’t, but this ride doesn’t stop for anybody.

7. My open-mindedness grants me access to experiences that many people are afraid of From sexual exploration to marching in pride parades to building a self-sufficient life, being gay has opened up the world wider to me, and I’m better for it. I’m living my truth and learning every day about all the different people with whom I share this planet.

So many cisgender men and women don’t or won’t allow themselves to experience that with which they’re unfamiliar or undereducated and thus spend

The definition of a “gold star gay” is somewhat loose. Some define it as a gay person never having intercourse with the opposite sex while others tighten the criteria to include ever being in a romantic relationship with the opposite sex. I’ve had girlfriends in the past – and we’ve done things, however begrudgingly on my part – but I’ve never had penetrative sex with a woman (even though I still consider the prospect from time to time, but I’ll save that for a future column). Does this make me a gold-star gay? That’s debatable, I suppose, but I am certain I’m not a daddy. To biological offspring, anyway.

3. I wouldn’t know half the people I love People come into our lives for all kinds of reasons, but when you’re gay you meet and befriend people on a regular basis just because you’re gay. As I try to quantify the relationships that I have, I realize that I wouldn’t know half of my friends and acquaintances (and former lovers) if I weren’t attracted to the same sex. Putting that alone into perspective satisfies my soul.

4. I’ve helped change people’s minds about the

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their entire lives scared and defensive and bitter. And then they die. Despite never having lived in the first place.

8. My humor, even as a defense mechanism, makes me more attractive Attractiveness is relative. I’m not classically goodlooking nor am I genetically predisposed to being physically fit. I have to work hard at it, and most of the time I just feel cute – to some people. I am funny though. My sense of humor was equally established as a result of my own intelligence – wit is not a learnable characteristic – and being forced to find a way to responsibly deal with all the shit life threw my way. I’m not alone either. So many of us are hilarious because we have to be. Which is OK with me. I’d rather gossip with the girls than uglycry over the Super Bowl any day.

9. I wouldn’t have such a satisfying career A lot of gay writers don’t like to be called “gay writer.” But that’s what I am. I’m a gay writer, and I have been for the past 20 years.

This career has afforded me opportunities I wouldn’t have had otherwise, and, frankly, I can’t imagine what else I’d being doing or what other turn my life would’ve taken if I wasn’t able to cathartically express my thoughts and frustrations and joys in print on a regular basis and get paid for it. It’s the best job in the world for me, and it only exists for me because I’m gay.

10. My life would be completely different – and I love it just the way it is Who knows where I’d be if I were straight.

Married with kids? Single and feeling sorry for myself? Watching “SportsCenter” while stuffing my face with pepperoni Hot Pockets and masturbating to lesbian porn? (Not that there’s anything wrong with that). The point is, my life would be different. It would’ve been different from the time I was a toddler, and I don’t like that idea. Everything I’ve ever said and done, all the people I’ve met along the way, the amazing relationship I’m in now has everything to do with me being gay, and I’m proud of it.

Early on if you’d have asked me to make a choice, I would’ve chosen to not feel different, to be like the other boys. But that’s not what the world needed; there are plenty of “other” boys.

There’s only one me though – and for that I’m thankful.

Mikey Rox is an award-winning journalist and LGBT lifestyle expert whose work has been published in more than 100 outlets across the world. Connect with Mikey on Instagram @ mikeyroxtravels

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Richard E. Grant Puts His Best Heel Forward

In ‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie,’ the veteran actor plays a gay warrior queen who inspires a young drag artist

By Chris Azzopardi

On the heels of his Oscar-nominated role as Jack Hock in “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” alongside Melissa McCarthy, actor Richard E. Grant takes on another aging gay man who embodies AIDS-era homosexuality. This time, though, the British actor’s character, Hugo Battersby, is literally in heels.

In “Everybody’s Talking About Jamie,” adapted from the coming-of-age British stage musical, Grant’s Hugo moonlights as Loco Chanelle, one of the most popular drag queens on the scene during a major turning point in the gay liberation movement, when AIDS devastated the LGBTQ+ community and forever changed the men, like Hugo, who lived through it.

He wasn’t just a drag queen — he was a warrior queen. Just the kind of figure Jamie (Max Harwood), the film’s titular character, needs as he navigates his young queer life as an aspiring queen whose bullies and school administration stand in the way of him being his true self.

Grant, also known for his roles in “Bram Stoker’s Dracula,” “Spice World” and “Gosford Park,” spoke about the role days before the heartbreaking passing of his wife, veteran Hollywood voice and dialect coach Joan Washington. In our interview, Grant talked about the major differences between Jack and Hugo, how bingeing 11 seasons of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” was his crash course in drag, and the unforeseen problem of being in costume and having to pee.

You look good in drag, Richard. It makes me think that, perhaps, you had a past in drag. Is that something that we should talk about?

Chris, this is entirely due to the amazing artwork of Guy Common, the makeup designer and applier; Nadia Stacey for the statue-like

wig; and Guy Speranza, for his amazing costume of the double-D bra. That’s all their work. I can take no credit for this, whatsoever.

They provided the armor for this.

Was it the double-D bra that really helped you get into character as Loco?

And six inch heels, leopard-skin tights and being 6’8” and having to bend through doorways. That does something to your psyche. [Laughs.]

Did playing Loco have you considering your own drag name if, say, you were to compete on “RuPaul’s Drag Race”?

I think it would have to be Regina D’Lumpcious.

I look forward to the national tour.

Oh my god. I watched 11 series of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” in three weeks. I’ve never seen drag before, so I thought this was the best way of trying to immerse myself into the vulnerability and sheer steely determination that you have to have to live that life.

How did your crash course in drag prepare you to play Loco?

The vulnerability, on the one hand, and the incredible nerve that it takes, and then throwing shade and sass, and that every single drag artist had some prejudice to overcome, either within their own family or in society.

So I thought that the courage that they have is absolutely extraordinary. They may be crying backstage or having a meltdown or some tragedy has happened, and yet, they go onstage in all this gear and just deliver. And I felt that was really key to Hugo/Loco. These two sides, it’s so extreme.

Hugo’s story is one of resilience — he lived through the AIDS epidemic, lost a lot of friends to the virus, including his partner —

and Jamie recognizes that.

He’s kind of an emotional anchor and [there’s] the historical overview too, because Jamie is out happily at the age of 16. His real struggle is convincing the school to accept him in drag, which is a very different journey from what Hugo has gone through with Stonewall, the hedonism of the ‘70s and the legalization of homosexuality, certainly, in the UK in 1967, which is a historical blink away. Then followed by this scourge of AIDS in the ‘80s and ‘90s, where you know generations of people were wiped out. It’s such a different struggle than what Jamie knows and is going through. And I thought that being done in a montage with a song called “This Was Me” was a very smart way of bringing that historical context into the movie.

How do you know so much LGBTQ+ history?

Where I grew up in this tiny country in Southeast Africa, I don’t recall ever meeting anybody that I knew was gay. But certainly, when I went to drama college and university and going into the theater, there are many gay people. So, I suppose by osmosis and accumulation of people that you are surrounded by. So many designers and makeup artists and costume designers in my career experience have been gay. I think that informs you. People who had the best parties or the best clothes or the best music choices, they were the people that, in my experience, were gay.

So it seemed like the chosen people compared to the rest of us, who were wearing slouchy clothes or not having good taste, which I know is playing to a complete cliché.

I was also friends with an actor called Ian

Charleson, who played the lead in “Chariots of Fire” in the early ‘80s. He died of AIDS in 1990. I’ve worked with him a couple of times. So he was really the inspiration for how I approached playing Jack Hock in “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” Then I went to RuPaul’s school on TV to try and learn how to play Hugo Battersby/Loco Chanelle. So I think that you can’t work in show business and not be educated by gay people. You’d have to be in a universe of only doing action movies with hyper-machismo people to not be aware.

A couple of years ago you said it was “unjustifiable” when straight actors play gay roles, which has obviously been an ongoing conversation in the business. But you’re gay in this movie.

It’s the first thing I said to [director] Jonathan Butterell when he offered me this part. I said, “You should cast a drag artist or an openly gay actor to play this part because you and I are gonna get into trouble for doing this.” And he said, “The creative team are all gay, and we have decided you have sad eyes, and we think that you’re right for this part.” So I said, “Well, you know, if it comes down on your head or mine that you should have cast a gay actor, be warned.” But he was very determined.

Do you think Jack and Hugo would be friends if they met on the street?

I think that Jack is such a gregarious huckster, and chances are that he never saw himself as a failure. Whereas, I think that Hugo knows that he’s a failure. And he’s lost his partner.

Jack had lost his partner, as well, but there is something innately optimistic about him, about Jack Hock, that is what makes him ludicrous and funny and vulnerable. Whereas Hugo is

until he meets Jamie, who really ignites his love of drag and gives him a kind of brief second act in his life.

I think that Jack Hock would probably think that Hugo was a sad, old has-been [laughs] and not worth bothering with. And certainly, because he had no money. Jack was entirely obsessed with anybody who was gonna give him a drug deal or a free meal or a sofa. Hugo doesn’t have anything to offer. He would just think he was a sad, old queen. (laughing) He would have no time for him, definitely.

If there’s another straight guy out there who wants to transform into drag, what tips can you offer?

Go on a diet. [Laughs.] And when you’re in drag and tucked, be warned in advance that you can’t eat or drink anything other than tiny sips through a straw because the [work] that it takes to get out of all that gear to go and have a wee is so monumental that you have to develop the thinking and the physicality of a camel’s bladder.

It doesn’t sound like a very pleasant experience when you describe it like that.

It’s extremely uncomfortable.

Is this the first time that you’ve walked in heels that high?

Yeah, first time I’ve been in drag.

Well, I mean, you can still walk in heels without being in drag, Richard.

True. I’m a teenager of the ‘70s so I had platform heels, but not as high as these were.

How tall were those?

Oh, four inches.

Did you manage to stay up on them? No accidents?

Oh yeah, because the wedges of those ones, in the ‘70s, were like two inches square.

These drag shoes were stiletto heels. Torture chambers. Have you been in drag?

Not full-on drag.

Well, there’s always tonight.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity

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.

”ENTIRELY FRESH. A REASON FOR CELEBRATION!” –NEW YORK MAGAZINE

40TH ANNIVERSARY

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An Aging Queen Gets His Swan Song Arthouse icon Udo Kier and co-star Michael Urie on their moving, queer crossgenerational bond in ‘Swan Song’

By Chris Azzopardi

An Aging Queen Gets His Swan Song Arthouse icon Udo Kier and co-star Michael Urie on their moving, queer cross-generational bond in ‘Swan Song’

By Chris Azzopardi German character actor Udo Kier is on camera holding old prints of press photos from his previous films over his face like a Halloween mask. He jokes that if a journalist dare ask a terrible question that he considers daft, the photos, not Kier himself, will answer back.

Luckily those prints never made their way back onto camera during our conversation, which also included his “Swan Song” co-star Michael Urie.

“Swan Song,” the new film from openly gay “Edge of Seventeen” director Todd Stephens (“Another Gay Movie,” “Another Gay Movie 2: Gays Gone Wild”), wouldn’t be the film it is without Kier’s brilliant performance at the heart of it. He’s a leading man for the first time, rightly earning him some of the biggest buzz of his 50-year career. But there’s no question the film’s bittersweet coda, a scene that serves as an elegiac tribute that Kier shares with Urie (“Ugly Betty”), is something special in its own right. Poignantly, it honors older generations of unapoletically queer elders who enriched the lives of younger LGBTQ+ populations, demonstrating that, without them, queer life now wouldn’t be the same.

Though Kier, also openly gay, has appeared in more than 220 films over the span of five decades (among them: almost all of Lars von Trier’s films, as well as Dario Argento’s “Suspiria” and Gus Van Sant’s “My Own Private Idaho”), he’s never played a character as proudly gay as Pat Pitsenberger, a legendary Ohio hairstylist known as the “Liberace of Sandusky.”

Women loved Mr. Pat, as he’s called, for making them look, and consequently feel, beautiful.

Now in his advanced years and living in a nursing home, retired from doing hair, he’s more than earned the right to be a bitter old queen. Mr. Pat survived the AIDS epidemic, lost friends, was at the forefront of gay liberation. In this new gay world, he’s an outsider all over again, his glory days behind him. But when one

of his former clients dies and he’s asked to do her hair, he has an opportunity to reclaim the history that made him who he is.

Kier, speaking from Los Angeles, and Urie, at home in New York, recently chatted about shooting their powerful scene, what attracted them to the film and the legacies they hope to leave behind.

What made you agree to do this project?

Udo Kier: For me, I got the script and I liked it. I said, “I want to meet Todd, because I want to see if I can work with him.” If I wouldn’t have liked him, I wouldn’t have made the film. But I liked him.

He came to Palm Springs, and we talked about it.

His script was very strong. And I wanted to shoot as chronologically as we could. I wanted to start in the retirement home, which we did. I stayed there a single day on my own with no camera, because I wanted to feel the bed, I wanted to see where everything was.

And then we went into town.

For me, the importance (of) this film is the different generation — my generation — and going back (to Ohio), and people don’t recognize me anymore. You see, I’m from Germany, and in Germany ... if two men lived together, and the neighbors were hearing some erotic noises, they could call the police and the people were arrested and put in jail. Now they’re holding hands at Applebee’s.

So I think it’s so, so wonderful (that) in (a) relatively short time, two men or two women can get married and adopt children. It’s amazing. It’s amazing that, after 50 years in the business working with genius directors like Lars von Trier and Gus Van Sant, the critics now write that it is my best film.

Michael Urie: It was Udo from the beginning. When I was offered the job, he was already on board. That was very exciting to me, ‘cause I’ve been a longtime fan of both the filmmaker, Todd, and Udo. But it’s this quiet observation that we as queer people have when we’re younger. Most queer people do not grow up in households with other queer people, and so we look elsewhere to find ourselves to see what we could be.

Michael, your character Dustin acknowledges that Pat, even though they had never met, made it easier for him to be openly gay. Who are the queer people you never personally knew who paved the way for you to be openly gay?

Urie: I’m from Texas, and I grew up in a suburb of Dallas called Plano, Texas. I was in drama in high school, and I was reading great queer literature and (there was) theater: “Angels in America” and Terrence McNally plays. I was exposed to this stuff, and I was aware of it and titillated by it. But there was a guy in my high school who was tall, strapping, extremely well dressed, very attractive, and pretty obviously gay.

When I picture him in my head, he’s 30, even though he was, of course, 17 at the time. I looked to him and his strength and his power and his beauty. He was, in many ways, my Mr. Pat. I still think back on him. I still think about how awesome he was.

As gay men, do either of you see parts of yourself reflected in Pat? Kier: I think, first of all, Michael, you did amazing, good work. (Our) scene on the couch works so well because I don’t move one inch. If I would have had a conversation, that would have been not good. But just having the cigarettes with the ashes, and listening, listening, listening made it stronger than if I would have answered you.

I’m more like an actor who likes to underplay (the character). That’s why, also, I never rehearsed with Todd, because Todd is a director who likes to rehearse.

I learned from Lars von Trier, (whose) favorite line is, “Don’t act.” I always think about, especially if you’re in a movie like “Swan Song,” when you have a strong story, a strong situation, which is funny at times, and sad at times, there’s no need to do acting numbers. A lot of actors, they’ll start with their back to the camera, by the chimney, and then they’ll turn around and they’ll talk to the floor, and finally they’ll come up to the camera. No, no, no, no.

Yesterday I saw 20 minutes (of “Swan Song”), and today I will see the whole film at Outfest, and it’s a strong film. I hope a lot of people will see it. I showed it before to a few friends. Not many. I don’t have many friends. But I showed it to a few friends, and they all said, “Oh, I cried and cried. And I laughed.” So that is good. If you’re able to tell a story where people laugh and cry, that’s good.

It’s amazing how many really young people liked the movie. You know, I was afraid that (they’d say), “There’s an old man.” But it’s not true. There were young, young people. And one girl, yesterday, said to Todd, “This is one of my favorite films ever.” And I said, “Wow. Maybe she only goes once a year to the cinema.”

I got choked up throughout the movie thinking a lot about my older self and what I might be like when I’m Pat’s age, how I might look back on my life. Do you feel like you share something in common with Pat when it comes to being gay and aging?

Kier: That’s why I accepted the role. Todd told me a lot about Pat and when I got there (to Sandusky) I talked to Pat’s friends and (they) told me how he was smoking and things like that. It’s definitely the generation, and

we’re very lucky that in Sandusky, the main street became our set. So in that green suit, I went to have a glass of chardonnay, and they all know me. There was the secondhand store and across the street was the theater, so it became all real. It was not a film where you have trailers. No, no, no, no. It was a real film. It was all from my heart. It wasn’t calculated. I never in the whole film calculated a situation. When I come out and say, “I’m back!,” that was a copy of Liberace.

Because when Liberace was performing in Las Vegas, he ran through the stage with all (his) rings and said, “You paid for them.”

Because this movie says a lot about the legacies we leave behind, how do both of you hope others will remember you?

Kier: Well, in my case, because Mike is so much younger, doing it for 50 years, being Andy Warhol’s Dracula, Andy Warhol’s Frankenstein, people will, I guess, remember me (for those roles). But, for me, it’s really amazing that Variety and all the critics write that (“Swan Song” is) my best film. I feel a little bit strange about that. Making so many films with great directors, like “My Own Private Idaho” with Gus, and now they write it’s my best film. I know why. You know why?

Because I have the leading part, and you follow the character. If you have a guest part in a film, people say, “He’s very good. He’s a good villain, yeah, yeah, yeah.”

But they cannot follow you through the story, from folding napkins to wearing wonderful shoes when he’s dead (laughs).

Urie: I guess I want my legacy to be: “He was part of cool things. And he was always himself.” I’ve been in a lot of queer movies and queer theater and — Kier: Strange movies.

Urie: (Laughs.) I’ve been in a lot of strange movies.

And there was a point when I was first on TV and I was playing a very flamboyant gay character and I was told, “Don’t do this again. Don’t do any more of these.

Don’t get pigeonholed.” And I thought, “There’s so many different kinds of gay people.” And I do play gay parts all the time, and they are different. We have so many different ways of being LGBTQ, and there are so many stories to tell.

I’m so proud to be part of this one, which I saw with a group at the Rooftop Film Festival in Brooklyn (with) a group of predominantly heterosexual people who loved it. That is a really exciting thing, too, to be a part of a movie that you would maybe call a gay movie because the protagonist is gay and the central conflict has to do with his homosexuality, but this is a straight person’s gay movie. Straight people love it. I think that’s a testament to Udo and a performance at the center that can compel and delight and break your heart. It’s a piece of life, watching it. And working on it felt like walking into the movie.

This has been edited for lenght. Please see full article in our online version.

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.

Peach Scene @ Photos by Russ Bowen-Youngblood FALL INTO THE MOON!

Peach Scene @ Photos by Russ Bowen-Youngblood SATURDAYS @ FUTURE PT1

Peach Scene @ SATURDAYS @ FUTURE PT2

Pride Goes Before the Fall

by Scott King I have a scar on my left hand. It runs in a straight line down about an inch below the knuckle of my middle finger. You can barely see it these days, but it’s there. And it reminds me of Pride. Circa 2015 or so.

seen even half a documentary on Hulu or Amazon, you know that the first Pride was held a year after the Stonewall riots, to commemorate that galvanizing event and to continue the LGBTQ+ civil rights march toward equality.

It was a fabulous, beautiful, temperate and sunny fall day in Atlanta. Pride weekend. I was walking home for a disco nap after a couple of brunches and taking in a bit of the parade.

But do you know more? Do you know about the Mattachine Society and the Gay Liberation Front and other gay-rights organizations that kept the march going through Anita Bryant, the AIDS crisis, the Gay ’90s, and into the new millennium? Do you know what happened at the first Pride celebrations in Atlanta? Many attendees wore paper bags over their heads. They wanted to show their presence, but not their faces.

I crossed Piedmont and 10th, heading north, which, as we all know, means heading downhill a little bit.

All of a sudden, the ground came up.

I didn’t trip. I didn’t stumble.

Gravity just got the best of me.

BOOM. Ouchies. I’m sure some kind lesbian with a clipboard and a headset helped me up. I don’t really remember.

What I do remember though, is the love. And the warmth. And the ooze. No I don’t mean ooze as in the blood and puss coming from the scrapes on my hand and elbow, although there was plenty of that.

I mean the ooze of the groovy, loving, and healing power of the LGBTQ+ community (and allies) at their best, on their best behavior, out in force and at their most dynamic and resplendent. PRIDE. It’s a powerful elixir. And an even more seductive intoxicant.

But where does Pride come from? Why does it hurt so much?

And why is it so damn beautiful?

If you’ve ever Googled it or

Do you know about the brave trans pioneers who put their bodies on the line in the streets, marking the boundary between the status quo and progress? Do you know about the boring cisgender white dudes who sat in their New York apartments and used their privilege to advance the case nationally and internationally for gay, lesbian and transgender liberation to move things forward in the legal, intellectual, and academic realms?

These pioneers, armed mostly with pens and typewriters, gave queer studies an intellectual heft that street protests, in all their glory, were not equipped to effectuate.

Do you know about the kids in the ’80s and ’90s and even early aughts who grew up in small towns?

Places where the words “faggot” and “dyke” were like chocolate milk – they were on everybody’s lips?

Those words weren’t just for people who were out or were perceived to be homosexual. They were for anyone who didn’t conform to the hegemonic and literally violent

heteronormative culture of much of America in the 20th century. Do you know about those who grew up without the internet or social media to give them a light or hope? Do you know about the kids who read gay magazines and periodicals and desperately searched the television for queer representation, for some smiling face to say implicitly or explicitly that being gay was okay?

Those kids aren’t much older than you. They’re still at the bars.

Hit them up for a chat. They’ve got some interesting things to say. Don’t you want to talk about something other than “Drag Race,” TikTok or the Kardashians?

If you’re under age 25, I don’t know much about your life. I would love to learn, though. I would love to have a chat. Where could we do this? Where is the forum?

Where is the space? Well, it’s within us all, and outside us. It’s at the bar. It’s on the street. It’s on the internet. It’s at the LGTQ+ community center. It’s everywhere.

Go to your institutions. Go to your community centers. Use your resources.

Learn and appreciate the knowledge that has been handed down to you from generations of queer pioneers and non-pioneer queers. Being a basic bitch is nothing new. These elders have something to teach us as well.

I swear it’s fun. It’s kind of like a podcast but on paper. Read the Atlanta History Center’s “Gay and Lesbian Atlanta.” For more raucous and subversive tales, check out “A Night at the Sweet Gum Head: Drag, Drugs, Disco, And Atlanta’s Gay Revolution.” And when you’ve worked up to it and are feeling adventurous, read Randy Shilts’ “And The Band Played On.” It’s a more thorough and realistic portrayal of the AIDS epidemic in the United States; more realistic than “Angels in America,” if you can believe it. It shows the institutional structures that were there to do the hard work of healing, struggling, and surviving. And the forces against us. This stuff doesn’t just happen on its own. It takes a village. It takes an infrastructure.

It takes institutional knowledge.

And it takes heroes, like you.

As you probably already know, this year there aren’t any official Pride events in Atlanta. But that doesn’t mean you can’t participate.

Read books.

Reach out to your elders.

Rely on institutions.

Celebrate Pride.

I want you to have more to remember Pride by than some silly scar.

And please, read some books.

“Scott King writes and lives in midtown Atlanta. He likes to go for long, long walks with no destination in mind.

If you see him out walking, please say hello.”

| 27

2021 ATLANTA PRIDE PARTY LINEUP ALRIGHT, PEACHES! HERE IS YOUR PARTY LINEUP FOR THE WEEK! THERE IS A LOT GOING ON, SO MAKE SURE TO SUPPORT YOUR BARS AND STAY SAFE! SOME OF THE EVENTS LISTED ARE TICKETED AND MIGHT BE SOLD OUT, SO CHECK THEIR INDIVIDUAL EVENT PAGES BEFORE HEADING TO THE VENUE! FROM ALL OF US AT PEACH MAGAZINE, HAPPY PRIDE! Curated & Edited by: Chris Gonzalez LaCorte

Get Dickled w/ Andrew @ Hideaway | 8 PM Retro Video Night @ Woofs w/ Mr Richard | 6 PM Pride Warpzone @ Heretic | 7 PM Kick Off to Pride @ MSR | 9 PM Gay Pride Trivia w/ Misti Shores @ Oscars | 9 PM SWITCH! The Pride Show w/ Lucy Stoole | 10 PM

Pride Playdate w/ DJ Darlene @ Hideaway | 10 PM Country Pride @ Heretic | 8 PM Pride Kickoff @ X Midtown | 8 PM Welcome to Atlanta @ MSR | 8 PM Pride Weekend Warm-Up @ Future | 9 PM - 3 AM Sweet Dreams Pride Kick Off w/ Brigitte Bidet @ Felix’s | 10 PM Mega Gay Pride Night @ Oscars | 10 PM

OUT NIGHT 2.0 @ Georgia Aquarium | 7 PM Pride on the Square @ Colony Square | 6 PM WUSSY Pride w/ Adore Delano and Landon Cider @ The Loft | 7 PM Atlanta Eagle Pride Night @ Hideaway 7 PM | Warm Up w/ Rob Reum 10 PM | DJ Mister Richard Fantasy Girls RuPride Friday @ Future | 7 PM Glow Party/Silent Disco @ MSR | 8 PM Pride Friday w/ Dan Slater & Alan T @ Heretic | 9 PM Show Your Pride @ Georgia Freight Depot | 9 PM Disney Theme Night @ Oscar’s | 8 PM Beautiful Nightmare w/ Molly Rimswell @ Felix’s | 10 PM The Circus w/ Derrick Barry @ X Midtown | 10 PM Madams of the Moonlight @ Midtown Moon | 11:30 PM

Pride Friday Afterglow @ District | 3:30 AM - 7 AM FUEGO’s Pride Sunrise Party @ Believe | 7 AM WUSSY Mag presents BOTTOMS UP! @ City Winery | 11:30 AM GARDEN DISCO - ABETTERBUZZ & DEEP SOUTH @ Georgia Beer Garden | Noon Delusional Dreamland Mimosa Bar & Day Party @ Felix’s | 12:30 Pride Outside Fest @ Hideaway 2 PM | Flashback w/ DJ Bill Berdeaux 7 PM | Twilight Tea Dance w/ DJ Rob Reum 10 PM | Pride DecaDance w/ DJ Darlene Kween on the Green 9.0 @ The Meadow Piedmont Park | 12 - 7 PM Queen Butch Pride Tea @ Heretic | 2 - 8 PM The Tea w/ Tony Moran & Seth Breezy @ District | 2 - 7 PM Atlanta Gay Sports Alliance Beer Bust @ Guac Y Margys Midtown | 2 PM Sunset Cabaret @ Midtown Moon | 6 - 9 PM Fantasy Girls RuPride Saturday @ Future | 7 PM Electric Circus Block Party @ MSR | 8 PM Pride Saturday w/ Dani Brasil & Alan T @ Heretic | 9 PM Main Event Pride Saturday @ Coca Cola Roxy | 9 PM HEYDAY ‘80s Dance Party: Pride Edition @ The Basement | 10 PM Pride Kiki w/ Aquaria from RPDR @ 591 Edgewood | 10 PM Pride Glow Party w/ Nicole Paige Brooks & Alissah Brooks @ Felix’s | 10 PM Night at the Disco Party @ Oscar’s | 10 PM Stars & Legends w/ Kameron Michaels @ X Midtown | 10 PM The Divas & The Divo @ Midtown Moon | 11:30 PM

Pride Saturday Afterglow @ District | 3:30 AM - 7 AM WUSSY Mag presents BOTTOMS UP! @ City Winery | 11:30 AM Dream Come True Bloody Mary Bar & Day Party @ Felix’s | 12:30 PM Pride Outside Fest @ Hideaway (OPEN TIL 3 AM!) Noon | Spill the Tea w/ Mother 3 PM | Pride T Dance w/ Dueling DJs 10 PM | Manhole at the Honey Pot w/ DJ Rob Reum Pride Party @ The Marquee Club | 12 - 4 PM Knea’s Country Brunch @ Oscar’s | 12 - 3 PM Pride Drag Queen Story Hour (FB LIVE) | 2 PM Medusa Pride Tea Dance @ The Piedmont Room | 3 PM DILF Out & Proud Tea Dance @ Heretic | 3 - 8 PM Pride Block Party @ X Midtown | 3 PM - 3 AM Pride Brunch & Bubbly @ MSR | 3 - 8 PM Sunday Service PRIDE/Birthday Edition @ Church on Edgewood | 6 PM Pride Sunday @ MSR | 6 PM DILF Atlanta Pride @ Heretic | 9 PM - 3 AM Pride Closeout Party w/ Brigitte Bidet @ Felix’s | 10 PM

Pride Sunday Afterglow @ District | 3:30 - 7 AM The Morning Party w/ Nina Flowers @ Heretic | 6:30 AM - 11 AM Columbus Day Pride Party @ Future | 10 PM - 4 AM

SAVE THE DATE

05 DEC

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Since Pride began, there have been numerous subsets of people that attended. While drag queens over time have become part of mainstream media and welcome at pride parades across the world, kink and leather have not been as widely accepted. Why is that? Gay culture has moved into the realm of accepting and fetishizing leather and kink for their enjoyment but when staples of the community show up in their gear at these parades and celebrations, it’s looked down upon by many, including families.

Pride should be an enjoyable experience for all those involved, but when cisgendered heterosexual individuals attend parades, should they have a say in what is on display? Pride is about visibility and acceptance in and around the community at large. However, since major corporations have gotten involved more and more parameters have been put on what is and is not appropriate.

The commercialization of Pride parades has diminished what we truly should focus on; expressing individuality and the bonding of community. And that includes leather and kink at these events.

While no one is insinuating that these individuals want to expose themselves publicly in front of minors, the expression of kink comes in many forms.

Before asking if this expression should be allowed at festivals and parades, we should be asking how we can educate younger individuals attending on what exactly these individuals are expressing and the importance they have in the community.

More often than not these people are philanthropists, community pillars, and mentors to many around them helping to lift and empower the community.

Their expression helps to empower and embolden the ones around them to express themselves freely and help others. Their leather/kink expression is merely a fraction of their true self. Much like being a parent is only a fraction of someone’s true identity, leather and kink expression is the same.

So why can we fetishize these expressions in private but once they step out, it’s inappropriate? Rather than stigmatize the sex industry, leather expression, and kink, we can speak to those who understand the complexities of different subcultures and begin to learn from one another.

Free flow of information only helps us all in the long run and can create a more vibrant yet cohesive community; which we all know is much needed in this day in age.

What makes the LGBTQIA+ community so beautiful is the diverse population of people who comprise it. Diversity can not be achieved through exclusivity or segregation, therefore we need to be careful about how we address issues surrounding different marginalized groups. If we never have the conversations though about how we can do better, then it just won’t happen.

So back to the question, “Does kink belong at Pride”?

I say, yes. Every subset of the community should have a space at Pride. There is a rich history in the leather scene and especially here in Atlanta with the Eagle police raids. That tenacity and vigor to stay afloat in a community that is slowly diminishing in visibility is vital and should be celebrated.

Artwork by Touko Valio Laaksonen (Tom Of Finland)

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Dining

BARS 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

9 10 th & Piedmont 10 Campagnolo 11 Einstein's

fitness 14 Urban Body Fitness 500 Amsterdam Ave NE

spa/bath 15 Flex Spa

58 | follow us @ peachatlmag

991 Piedmont Ave NE 980 Piedmont Ave NE 1077 Juniper St NE

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

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2043 Cheshire Bridge Rd

22 Tripps

1931 Piedmont Cir NE

Dining 1842 Cheshire Bridge Rd 1824 Cheshire Bridge Rd

Retail 26 Barking Leather 27 Southern Nights

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Midtown Moon Felix's The Hideaway Mixx Oscar's

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

Retail 39 Boy Next Door 40 Barking Leather

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Fitness 41 Equilibrium Fitness

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

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clubs 28 Heretic 29 Tokyo Valentino

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Fitness 30 Gravitee Fitness

2201 Faulkner Rd NE

| 59

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

SNAPS BARS & CLUBS

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MIDTOWN ATLANTA EAGLE CLOSED atlantaeagle.com 306 Ponce De Leon Ave NE

MIDTOWN MOON 1492 Piedmont Ave NE

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

THE HIDEAWAY 1544 Piedmont Ave 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

FELIX’S 1510 Piedmont Ave NE

MIXX mixxatlanta.com 1492 Piedmont Ave NE OSCAR’S oscarsatlanta.com 1510 Piedmont Ave NE WOOFS woofsatlanta.com 494 Plasters Ave NE 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 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 HENRY’S henrysatl.com 132 10th St NE

RETAIL MIDTOWN BARKING LEATHER AFTER DARK barkingleather.com 1510 Piedmont Ave NE CHESHIRE SOUTHERN NIGHTS VIDEO 2205 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE ANSLEY BOY NEXT DOOR MENSWEAR boynextdoormenswear.com 1447 Piedmont Ave NE GCB & PLEASURES brushstrokesatlanta. com 1510-D Piedmont Ave. NE

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October 6th - 12th Halloweentown Marketplace |October 8th (5 - 9 PM)

Shop local arts, handmade goods, and support small business while enjoying the beautiful EAV Community Park and the Sip of Paradise garden! Costumes encouraged! 572 Stokeswood Avenue SE Atlanta, GA 30316

Fall Festival on Ponce | October 9 - 10th

The Atlanta Foundation for Public Spaces is proud to announce the 10th Annual Fall Festival on Ponce coming October 9th and 10th in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Fall Festival on Ponce is an Atlanta arts and crafts festival held in the historic Olmsted Linear Park. Visitors will enjoy the gorgeous landscape designed by one of America's most celebrated landscape architects, Fredrick Olmsted Sr. , which was carefully restored by the Olmsted Linear Park Alliance. In addition to the abundance of unique art, there will be a children's area, local gourmet food, beverages and a small stage for acoustic musical performances. Attendance is Free.

This event will be very conservative, with sensitivity and consideration for the park and surrounding neighborhood.

Location: 1451 Ponce de Leon Avenue N.E., Atlanta, GA 30307: Olmsted Linear Parks

Slingin' Wings Festival @ Heritage Sandy Springs | October 9th (12 - 6 PM)

Slingin' Wings Festival is BACK for the 4th year for a seriously saucy wing and beer festival! Join us on Saturday, October 9th, for Slingin' Wings Festival where restaurants from all over Atlanta will be slingin' chicken wings for your tasting pleasure. Come join us for ATL's premiere outdoor chicken wing festival!

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PALS Drag Queen Bingo Rocky Horror @ LIPS Atlanta | October 12th (7:30 PM - 9:30PM)

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Dear Peach,

set and I am trying came out of the clo ly nt ce re e d en fri My best to be perfectly fin tive but he seems or pp su be to t ng es gli my hard seem to be strug t story. He doesn’t with his coming ou e his friend group pting him, becaus ce ac t no rs he ot at all with lous because my I think I am a bit jea so … ne mi as me ortive of him is the sa How can I stay supp ul… tif au be an th s story is les because of our my past and relax ide as sh pu to ing while try differences?

You have to understand that everyone’s coming out story is going to be different.

Your story is different than mine, and my best friend’s is different than both of ours.

Pride month is a time to celebrate all walks of life in the expansive community that we belong to; so that means celebrating those folx who also haven’t come out just yet or those who just did. Imagine how you felt when you went to your first pride and saw other people celebrating being their true selves. Didn’t that feel awesome?

Allow your friend to feel that same joy and just be supportive of him. Your story isn’t over by any means, but the hardest part is probably in the past now… so move forward and support all of those around you who need it!

68 | follow us @ peachatlmag

www.peachatl.com

You have become a natural hustler this season, Libra. You have struggled with money here and there but you have always come out on top. This season, however, you are noticing a new trend where you don't have to be as frugal as you normally are. Good for you! Now, just because you're making money doesn't mean you have to spend it all immediately!

There is going to come a time when someone very close to you will, unfortunately, pass on, and the times that you have with them will just become memories. They will be your most cherished memories, but you need to continue making them while you can. Reach out to the ones closest to you this week. They need it.

Understand that things may not always work out the way that you had hoped for. Understand that in the long run, when attempting to learn something new, you might not learn what you intended to in the beginning... The universe has a funny way of taking things and making them work out, so until the universe works things out for you, keep pushing forward. You dont have to know where the road ends to go down that path.

This is the beginning of the end for a particular feeling you've been dwelling in, Cap. Not everything lasts forever, and this too shall pass. So while you ruminate on the things that have happened to make you who you are today, also understand that while they might have been the most difficult, the most fun, the most whatever... they all make up who you are in summation. Put that into perspective and realize that you don't have it THAT bad.

You're nervous to give yourself up to someone who is showing interest in you. Why? What do you have to lose? When you give a part of yourself over to someone, know that you truly do not lose the essence of what you have given them. What you do is share it, replicate it and give them a carbon copy of that fraction. You never truly lose who you are in a situation because you are the result of years of trial and tribulation.

70 | follow us @ peachatlmag

www.peachatl.com

You have been feeling a bit lost lately, Pisces. You haven't been able to focus on the things that truly bring you joy because you feel like you have reached your ropes end with them. Understand this, you can find joy in the littlest things. Much like a child finds laughter and playfulness in the oddest circumstances, you too can find your inner child and find joy.

This week you are allowed to want more. You can be a bit selfish this week and ask the universe for more. Because what you are asking for is not unreasonable. However, you have continuously had to deal with not getting what you deserve, and here we are unhappy with the outcome.

You deserve better. You deserve more. So manifest it.

It is time to pay it forward, Taurus. You have and will have some really great energy coming your way which is going to (in turn) make strides in your career and personal life. However, you are going to leave some important people behind if you do not try to bring them along for the ride. Do not forget the little people when you have your success.

You have become a natural hustler this season, Gemini. You have struggled with money here and there but you have always come out on top. This season, however, you are noticing a new trend where you don't have to be as frugal as you normally are. Good for you! Now, just because you're making money doesn't mean you have to spend it all immediately!

You are finding yourself in need of intimacy this week, Cancer. If you happen to revisit an old flame, do not be in distress if the conversation becomes a bit revealing about the previous experience. It is okay to reflect and revisit things, so long as you keep them healthy and distanced. Do not start catching feelings again!

You might be feeling extra giving this week, Leo. What you need to realize is that what you give to others does not always have to come in the form of a material possession. You can gift people in love and connection. If that's more than you're capable of currently, then do what feels right.

Either way, they will enjoy receiving something special from you.

You find yourself longing to be in a group of people this week, Virgo. What do you think this means for you? Do you need to rejoin a class of some sort? Maybe a yoga class or an exercise class? Do you need to attend a festival this season or be in the park with others? Whatever you decide to do, you will feel a rejuvenation after the event and new energy will help to inspire you.

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