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Marriage equality turns 10, but the threat of repeal still looms
COLLIN KELLEY
Ten years ago this summer, the U.S. Supreme Court legalized marriage for same-sex couples nationwide in the landmark Obergefell v. Hodges decision. I distinctly remember that one of my friends and his partner rushed over to the Fulton County Government Center in Downtown Atlanta for an impromptu mass wedding ceremony that same afternoon. June 26, 2015 was a joyous day, but even as the LGBTQ+ community celebrated this win, the religious right and its adherents were already plotting its repeal.
With marriage equality a bigger mountain to move, conservatives turned their fearmongering and hatred on the transgender community, making sports, gender-affirming care, and drag queen story hours a distracting wedge issue in the 2024 elections.
In 2022, Congress passed the Respect for Marriage Act, codifying protections for same-sex and interracial married couples into law and repealing 1996’s Defense of Marriage Act. And while subverting the act will make it more difficult to end
marriage equality, we are through the looking-glass when it comes to norms, rights, and established law.
After overturning Roe v. Wade, Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito expressed their interest in revisiting Obergefell v. Hodges. The right to an abortion was enshrined for 50 years and disappeared in a day. There is an existential threat to marriage equality looming before us, especially with an emboldened conservative base.
A report from the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law said that more than 500,000 same-sex couples have tied the knot since 2015. In national polling, public support remains strong for marriage equality, hovering between 68 and 71 percent.
But despite public sentiment, lawmakers in at least six states have introduced legislation to repeal marriage equality, calling Obergefell v. Hodges an overreach by SCOTUS. Even Kim Davis – the Kentucky county clerk who lost her job over refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples – is still trying to get her case before the high court.
Last month, the Southern Baptist Convention voted to endorse “laws that affirm marriage between one man and one woman.” The resolution was approved by the 10,000-church strong body, with plans to press lawmakers to pass legislation
aimed at ending marriage equality.
Another warning signal is SCOTUS’s June ruling on banning gender-affirming care for trans youth in U.S. v. Skrmetti. If we are at a place where parents are no longer allowed to make medical decisions for their own children, there is no reason why marriage equality won’t be put to the test at some point.
On June 14, millions gathered across the country for the “No Kings” rallies against the actions of the Trump administration. While the despicable ICE
arrests and deportations without due process were the main thrust of the rallies, LGBTQ+ rights were also part of the mix.
We’ve got to deal with the current president for the next three-and-ahalf years, but next year’s midterm elections should be a sound rebuke of the fearmongering, bigotry, and marginalization that LGBTQ+ people have faced in the last six months.
Let’s make it so.
Groups rally against Supreme Court’s transgender rights ruling COMMUNITY
By Katie Burkholder
Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision regarding gender-affirming care for transgender minors in Tennessee, Atlanta LGBTQ+ organizations are responding with a renewed fight for transgender rights in the South and across the country.
On June 18, the Supreme Court ruled that the ban on transgender health care for minors in Tennessee was constitutional. With this ruling, similar laws blocking or restricting access to care in more than 20 other states, as well as future laws passed by state legislatures, will be allowed to remain in place.
“This betrayal reverberates across the country, creating fear and uncertainty for young people who are simply trying to live authentically,” Atlanta Pride said in a statement. “This ruling is a stark reminder that the fight for our liberation continues, and we must draw strength from the deep roots of our collective struggle.”
Liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in her dissenting opinion that the decision would authorize “untold harm to transgender children and the parents
and families who love them.” Terence Stewart, the president of Atlanta Black Pride, agreed, saying that the decision forces families into the “impossible” choice of either raising their child without the necessary medical care – something particularly difficult for Black and brown families who already face barriers to health care – or relocating. However, the court’s decision may encourage other states to follow Tennessee’s example, making relocation, especially in the South, more difficult.
“For Black and brown families already facing health care barriers, this compounds existing inequities and puts Black trans youth at even greater risk,” Stewart said. “We’re deeply concerned this ruling will encourage other states to follow Tennessee’s lead in stripping away health care rights based on gender identity. Politicians should not interfere in private medical decisions between families and their doctors.”
In response to the court’s decision, Georgia Equality, Lambda Legal, TransParent, and Georgia United organized a rally on June 21 to share space and unite around trans power.
“We will continue to fight in courtrooms and communities across the country to ensure all people – including transgender people – have the freedom to shape their own futures,” Jeff Graham, the Executive Director of Georgia Equality, said. “In Georgia, where we have fought bans on medical care for transgender
people repeatedly over the years, those fights will continue. We know that families deserve privacy and freedom to make the medical decisions that are best for them, and we will not stop fighting for that future.”
U.S. Supreme Court (Photo courtesy Washington Blade)
Same-sex couples tied the knot at an impromptu mass wedding at Fulton County Government Center on June 26, 2015. (File)
Thousands attend ‘No Kings’ rallies across metro Atlanta
By Collin Kelley, Cathy Cobbs and Beth McKibben
Thousands of residents from across metro Atlanta mobilized on June 14 for the “No Kings” rallies against the actions of the Trump administration.
A rally in DeKalb County at the corner of Northcrest and Chamblee Tucker roads ended in tear gas being deployed when protesters tried to block the road and were met by police in riot gear. Law enforcement fired tear gas and arrested eight people, including independent journalist Mario Guevara, who is now facing deportation.
Rallies in Downtown and Midtown Atlanta, Tucker, and Decatur were just four of thousands happening across the United States and abroad. The protests came amid ongoing raids and arrests by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Los
Angeles and other cities.
The rallies occurred on the same day that President Donald Trump held a poorly attended military parade in Washington D.C., ostensibly to honor the 250th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Army, but it was also Trump’s 79th birthday.
At the State Capitol, an estimated 7,500 people packed into Liberty Plaza and the streets outside. There were no reports of violence or arrests, although members of the far-right extremist group, Proud Boys, were booed as they marched through the area.
Just outside Tucker, thousands of people lined the streets during a rally that started at the Northlake Festival Shopping Center and progressed to the I-285 exit bridge. The group organizing the rally, Pocketbook Brigade, estimated the crowd at about 5,000.
The crowd held up signs along Lavista near Briarcliff roads and encouraged driversby to honk in support of the “No Kings” rally. Many people, especially children, were wearing Burger King crowns, with the word “Burger” replaced with “No.”
Other chanted, “Let’s impeach Donald Trump, we’ve had enough,” and “We believe in liberty, not a monarchy,” while holding signs that said,
News Roundup
APD makes arrests in Pride flag vandalism
The Atlanta Police Department is pursuing hate crime charges for four suspects arrested for cutting up Pride flags outside Midtown bar Blake’s on the Park.
Police said two other suspects are being sought after fleeing the scene at Piedmont and 10th Street just before 2 a.m. on Tuesday, June 24.
Police identified three of the suspects
“No Faux Kings” and “Tuck Frump.”
Rick Fedder, a member of the Pocketbook Brigade, said he had not seen any signs of counter-protesters, although the DeKalb Police would be called if any unrest occurred.
“We’ve talked to the police and they know we are here, and ready if needed,” Fedder said.
Outside The Piedmont at Buckhead senior living center, residents held their own mini-“No Kings” rally on the sidewalk, waving placards with messages about “Save Medicare” and “Stop the Pain.”
Over in Midtown, hundreds of people lined the sidewalks spanning both sides of the 17th Street bridge near Atlantic
Station for a rally. Organizers using megaphones repeated chants like “Tell me what democracy looks like,” prompting a collective response from the crowd of “This is what democracy looks like.”
Signs held by protesters on 17th Street ranged from “Protect Trans Kids’ Lives” and “No Kings Since 1776” to “ATL Resist” and “Ice in sweet tea. No ICE in our communities.” A long banner reading “Trump Must Go Now” hung on the side of the 17th Street bridge facing traffic traveling south on the Connector (I-75/I-85).
People honked their car horns as they passed by protesters on the bridge, who cheered in acknowledgement.
as Logan Matthison, 18, Ahmed Mechkouri, 18, and Geami Maccarroll, 17 – all from Dallas, GA. A 16-yearold from Taylorsville, GA has also been charged.
All four have been charged with obstruction, criminal damage to property, conspiracy, and prowling. Police said hate crime charges are pending. Aaron Petrus, the father of the juvenile arrestee, was issued a citation by officers for failing to supervise his son.
Visit thegavoice.com for updates on this case.
Georgia Voice
Judge temporarily blocks EO targeting LGBTQ, HIV groups
A federal judge on June 9 blocked the enforcement of three of President Donald Trump’s executive orders that would
have threatened to defund nonprofit organizations providing health care and services for LGBTQ people and those living with HIV.
The preliminary injunction was awarded by Judge Jon Tigar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in a case, San Francisco AIDS Foundation v. Trump, filed by Lambda Legal and eight other organizations.
Implementation of the executive orders — two aimed at diversity, equity, and inclusion along with one targeting the transgender community — will be halted pending the outcome of the litigation challenging them.
Washington Blade
Queen new director of Atlanta LGBTQ Affairs
Mayor Andre Dickens has appointed Dewayne R. Queen as the City of Atlanta’s Director of the Division of LGBTQ Affairs in the Mayor’s Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.
Queen will be the primary liaison for the Mayor’s LGBTQ Advisory Board
and city departments, ensuring alignment across initiatives.
Throughout his 10-year career at Delta Air Lines, Queen championed diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, according to a news release. For three years he served as President of Delta’s LGBTQ Business Resource Group (EQUAL), collaborating with senior leadership to address workplace disparities, reestablishing partnerships with organizations like the Human Rights Campaign, and fostering an inclusive culture.
Georgia Voice
SCOTUS rules on LGBTQ+ issue
The U.S. Supreme Court on June 27 ruled that public schools must give advance notice to parents and allow them the opportunity to opt their children out of lessons or classroom instruction on matters of gender and sexuality that conflict with their religious beliefs.
Washington Blade
Outside the State Capitol on June 14 for the “No Kings” rally. (Photo by Samantha Gardella)
Protesters gathered on the 17th Street Bridge in Midtown. (Photo by Beth McKibben)
Surveillance video of the suspects destroying Pride flags in Midtown. (Courtesy APD)
Starting at $89
Atlanta Pride announces 2025 festival theme ‘Rooted in Resistance’
By Katie Burkholder
Atlanta Pride has announced the official theme of this year’s Pride festival on Oct. 11 and 12. The theme, “Rooted in Resistance,” honors the history of the LGBTQ+ movement and the Stonewall Riots of 1969.
“Our community’s journey has always been ‘Rooted in Resistance.’ From Stonewall to the present day, we have continually stood firm in the face of adversity, demanding our rights and celebrating our identities,” Chris McCain, the Executive Director of Atlanta Pride, said. “This theme is a call to remember our past, acknowledge our ongoing struggles, and empower every individual to contribute to a future where all LGBTQ+ people can thrive, free from fear and prejudice. We invite everyone to join us in embodying this spirit at this year’s festival.”
This year’s logo was designed by local graphic designer Edwin Villalba, a senior graphic designer at Georgia Power. Villalba has worked with Disney, CVS, Citizens Bank, SMU, Octavius Marsion, and Dillon Burnisde.
McCain told Georgia Voice that the theme is both “a call back and a call forward,” connecting history with the future as advocates and activists continue to fight against federal and local attacks on LGBTQ+ rights.
“At a time when our rights and our lives are under attack, it’s important to
remember that queer joy is an act of protest and resistance,” he said. “Atlanta Pride remains the largest free Pride event in the country, and with our community’s support, we’ll keep it that way. The only way we move forward is together.”
This year marks the 55th year of Atlanta Pride, the largest free Pride festival in the country. As the organization celebrates this milestone, they still remain grounded in their grassroots origins, McCain says, through their Pride Across the Peach State initiative, a grant program supporting local Pride events throughout Georgia.
Pride remains free to the community through the work of volunteers. Volunteer applications for Atlanta Pride 2025 are currently open. Positions include parade marshals, information booth attendants, accessibility and inclusion coordinators, and more.
“Volunteers are the heart and soul of Atlanta Pride,” McCain said. “Their passion and commitment make it possible for us to deliver this incredible festival to our community. We encourage anyone who wants to make a tangible difference and be a part of
something truly special to sign up and join our team.”
Atlanta Pride also announced its grand marshals for 2025, which include Jere Chang, Shannon Bradley-May, Dr. Christy Perez, Richard Ramey, Lena Lust, Raquel
Willis, Russ Youngblood, Georgia LGBTQ History Project, LGBTQ+ Institute at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, and PALS Atlanta.
To learn more, visit atlantapride.org.
Trans couple seek community support to flee the U.S.
By Katie Burkholder
Amid ever-expanding legislative attacks on trans people, militarized aggression against protestors, and a proliferation of anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments, trans Atlantans Monica Helms and Darlene Wagner are seeking community support to take refuge in
When President Donald Trump was inaugurated, the couple knew they needed to relocate. Since his inauguration, more than 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced across the U.S. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has signed bills denying state funding for gender-affirming care for prison inmates and banning transgender
girls from competing on female sports teams in Georgia schools and universities.
Both Helms, 74, and Wagner, 50, are longtime transgender activists. Helms, a Navy veteran, created the iconic transgender flag in 1999 and the Transgender American Veterans Association in 2003. Wagner is a writer and scientist known for her work in queer tech and LGBTQ+ health. After decades of advocacy, the two are facing growing concerns about their safety in the U.S.
“Initially we started out thinking that we could move to a blue state, but now, the way things are going and what’s happening in Los Angeles, even a blue state doesn’t seem safe,” Helms told Georgia Voice, referring to the mass arrests and deployment of the National Guard at protests against ICE’s mass deportations.
However, Helms says the couple are more fearful of the actions of Trump supporters who may feel empowered to directly threaten the couple’s safety and livelihood.
After visiting Costa Rica in May, Helms and Wagner decided the country –which has an inclusive legal landscape and protections for LGBTQ+ people, as well as no military – would make a safer home for them. Costa Rica has legal samesex marriage and anti-discrimination
protections, and allows trans people to have accurate identity documents and seek gender-affirming care.
“In May, we went and visited Costa Rica for about six days, and we fell in love with it. It’s a beautiful place with great people,” Helms said. “We said, ‘Okay, this is where we need to move to, but we don’t have sufficient funds to do that.”
The couple are seeking support from the community through GoFundMe to raise funds to assist in their relocation and rebuilding their lives in Costa Rica.
“I feel pretty bad about asking people for money, but we’re trying to save our lives,” Helms said.
Helms and Wagner insist they are not running away but are instead “relocating with purpose” so they can continue their advocacy without fear. Wagner plans on starting a blog to inform other trans Americans about seeking Costa Rica for refuge, and the couple hopes to further support other trans expatriates in Costa Rica.
“When Darlene and I move, we will not be abandoning our activism,” Helms said. “We feel that other people may need or want to come to Costa Rica as well, and if we’re there, we could hopefully save other people from this tragedy that’s happening in our country.”
Costa Rica.
Atlanta Pride Parade (File)
Monica Helms (left) and her wife, Darlene Wagner, are relocating to Costa Rica due to safety concerns. (Provided.)
Here are 10 easy ways to get an HIV test in Atlanta
By Rebecca Grapevine | Healthbeat
Georgia has the highest rate of new HIV infections among all states. Access to affordable testing is a key component of ending the epidemic.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that every adult get tested at least once in their lifetime as a part of routine health care, but only about a third of Americans do it, said Patrick Sullivan, a professor at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health.
There are many convenient, discreet, even free, ways to get tested in Atlanta. Here are some of the options.
1. At home. Together Take Me Home is a national project that mails two free HIV testing kits to your home in discreet packaging. The rapid test is conducted with an oral swab, so no blood draw is necessary. The project has reached nearly 750,000 people. But hurry: The program will end in September after the CDC terminated it due to a lack of staff to oversee it.
Info: together.takemehome.org.
2. At the club. AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s mobile testing units often visit nightclubs and community fairs around the city.
Info: aidshealth.org.
3. At the “adult store.” Positive Impact
Health Centers conducts tests at Starship Enterprises locations on Memorial Drive in Stone Mountain on the first Sunday of every month; at the Old National Highway location in Atlanta, and the Highpoint Road location in Snellville on the third Sunday of every month. Testing is offered from 4 to 7 p.m.
Info: positiveimpacthealthcenters.org.
4. On the bus. You can’t miss the big purple Healthy Love bus sponsored by SisterLove. The bus has logged over 10,000 miles and helped provide more than 2,000 tests. The tests are free. The bus will be at SisterLove’s community health fair from 1 to 7 p.m. July 19 at 3699 Bakers Ferry Road.
Info: sisterlove.org/healthy-love-bus.
5. At the drugstore. You can purchase an HIV test at many retail pharmacies. At CVS, it costs about $46 over the counter. You can also get the tests delivered with services like DoorDash and UberEats. No prescription needed.
Info: cvs.com.
6. At the thrift store. The Out of the Closet thrift store at Ansley Mall creates a “destigmatizing space” where people can shop, get tested for HIV for free, and access community pharmacy services, said Imara Canady of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. Ninety-six cents of every dollar spent at the store goes directly back into HIV services in the local community,
Canady said. People can also get tested for other STIs and access pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) at the clinic.
Info: outofthecloset.org.
7. At church. Houses of worship have emerged as an important testing site, Canady said. Many local churches host testing events, he said, pointing to the work of the Rev. Dr. Monte Norwood, pastor of Bible Way Ministries, in Atlanta’s Thomasville Heights neighborhood.
Info: biblewayministries.org.
8. Schedule online. Many local clinics let you book an appointment online.
Empowerment Resource Center and SisterLove offer online signups for free testing at their clinics.
Info: erc-inc.org.
9. Or call. Other clinics also offer testing services you can book by phone, including AID Atlanta, Positive Impact Health Centers in Duluth and Decatur, and Someone Cares in Marietta.
10. At the local public health department. County health departments offer HIV testing at their clinics. Find your health department at dph.georgia.gov.
The Out of the Closet thrift store at Ansley Mall offers free HIV testing. (Photo by Rebecca Grapevine)
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Queer Atlantans are fostering alternative nightlife with DIY parties, raves, and events
By Katie Burkholder
Despite the straightforward acronym, Atlanta’s varied DIY nightlife is anything but. The DIY sentiment in Atlanta spans scene, identity, and space. From backyard drag shows and trans-inclusive raves to parties curated by Atlanta’s best DJs, queer Atlantans are taking matters into their own hands by finding alternative ways to foster community and collaboration through the time-honored tradition of partying.
Creating an alternative space
For young queer people like Haisa Nguyen, traditional queer clubs and bars are often not the spaces they truly want. Nightlife spaces that aren’t strictly for gay men are often not queer enough for the 22-year-old Georgia State graduate. Nguyen says she often feels disappointed – and sometimes not completely safe – as a femme-presenting queer person in the ambiguity of Atlanta’s queer spaces.
“I love traditional LGBTQ+ nightlife spaces, but my biggest qualm is that they rarely make it known that they’re queer spaces,” she told Georgia Voice. “I think this often leads to straight people dominating the environment because they don’t know or can’t tell that it’s not necessarily for them,” Nguyen added. “It’s frustrating because how will queer people know these spaces are for them if no one makes it known, and how will they be safe queer spaces?”
This frustration has led other queer Atlantans in their 20s to create parties, raves, and spots where LGBTQ+ people know they’ll be accepted as their true selves.
While all LGBTQ+ people are forced to the margins of the dominant society, alternative queer people may find themselves on the margins of even queer spaces: LGBTQ+ people who express their gender in non-conforming and uncommon ways; BIPOC people who experience racism in white-dominated queer spaces; leftist organizers who want to distance themselves from the demands of capitalism; or people who simply prefer harder, weirder music than dance pop.
From this position comes underground, DIY parties: niche events
for and by members of marginalized groups, often unknown or inaccessible to those outside of the scene. (In other words, if you know, you know.)
Moon Glow Collective (IG @ moonglowcollective) is a trans-organized market that features queer DJs, drag performers, and artists. While some events are hosted at venues like coffee shops – the last market was hosted at Mr. Tombstone’s Coffee Emporium – the markets are often held in organizers’ backyards. This alternative, DIY sense of venue is reflected in Moon Glow’s ethos: without the strict financial demands of paying for a permanent place to host events, Moon Glow can focus on fostering a fun and truly queer space.
“Places like Moon Glow are amazing spaces for queer people because the people there care about you, and they take care of each other,” Nguyen said. “They also make it very known that they’re for queer people.”
Moon Glow, like most underground events, operates via word-of-mouth facilitated by social media. The collective is clear from the jump (i.e., the Instagram bio) that it’s for “hot trans ppl.” If you’re not trans or in community with trans people, you likely won’t even know that Moon Glow exists.
Don Fairylèon sought to foster a similar sense of community when forming Club Saturn (IG @saturn.atl) with friend Erik Thurmond, aka Pasquale. Club Saturn is an underground dance party and safe space curated specifically for the queer and femme alternative community.
Fairylèon said that he struggles going into traditional gay and queer spaces “because I usually feel too different to be in those spaces.” At Club Saturn, there is no such thing as “too different.” The
lineups include myriad of queer talent spanning sound, culture, and ethnicity.
“Our space is also for DJs to push the boundaries–no boxes over here,” Fairylèon said. “Our people don’t usually get seen or really feel accepted or vibe in many spaces, even within the queer community [in Atlanta]. And one thing about us is we love our people, and I really think it shows at our events.”
Club Saturn’s sibling rave, Malware Café (IG @malwarecafe), has a similar ethos. The queer and Black-led electronica collective, founded in December 2020, drew inspiration from the political unrest of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement to create a space for queer liberation through music.
“Malware Café aims to shake up the traditional status quo of queer nightlife in Atlanta by introducing queer liberation through the experience of raw chaos, pleasure, and catharsis through harder, heavier and oftentimes faster music,” said Jaguar, the founder of Malware Café. “[Members of the collective and I] met during an unprecedented time of collective and political unrest, [and] somehow meeting these new friends made the world feel less scary.”
Members of the collective include Fairylèon and Jaguar, as well as Dread404, laCOCHINO, HotLilDxddy, Nakotiq, EatMyThumb, and DJ Sweatsuit. Over the last five years, Malware Café has served as a crucial space for “Black [and] Brown trans weirdos” and others who, like Jaguar, struggle to see themselves in traditional queer clubs.
“While mainstream LGBTQ+ clubs can make more alternative or non-white queer people feel out of place or like they need to conform to belong, Malware exists to break that all apart,” Jaguar said. In
Chaka Khan Hacienda. (Photo via Chaka Khan Hacienda Instagram)
Performers at Moon Glow Market. (Photo courtesyMoon Glow Market)
Partygoers at Club Saturn. (Photo courtesy of Don Fairylèon)
this alternative space, Malware rave-goers are encouraged to let loose and connect in a visceral and embodied community. In connecting over movement, sweat, and vulnerability, Jaguar said, Malware attendees are able to better learn and be reminded of how to support one another and keep each other safe.
“[Attendees] are experiencing crazy music that inspires them to reach new heights in their life, helping them to think about things outside the box and challenging them to further investigate why the club can be so cathartic and the sociopolitical renaissance and resistance that can be dissected from the dance floor,” Jaguar said.
After a hiatus, Malware Café, now simply known as Malware, is ushering in a new era. That began on June 12, when Malware brought a night of hard techno, club, and dance music to Purgatory at The Masquerade. And Jaguar, along with the rest of the collective, is ready to host latenight, underground raves again at lesserknown Atlanta venues like Eyedrum and Seek Studios.
While spaces like Malware, Club Saturn, and Moon Glow are creating alternatives to mainstream queer nightlife in Atlanta, other collectives and organizers are bringing the DIY ethos into the city’s traditional LGBTQ+ spaces.
DIY in the Club
Atlanta’s mainstream LGBTQ+ club scene largely caters to gay men, with spaces like The Eagle, Heretic, and Bulldogs, which are specifically gay male-oriented. Atlanta’s single lesbianspecific space, My Sister’s Room (IG @ mysistersroom_msr), often attracts a more varied clientele than just sapphic women. Even so, self-proclaimed weirdo NeonHorror still longed for something more than the hunky circuit parties that dominate Atlanta’s gay party scene.
“We have enough DJs for gay events, like circuit events, where the perfect specimens of gay men go and dance,” he said. “I support them, those are my friends, but I wanted something where it was like a hodgepodge of the queer community can come and feel like it was something for them.”
NeonHorror parties are for “the weirdos and the queerdos.” Hosted at venues like Lore, Mary’s, and the nowdefunct Basement, NeonHorror has hosted and DJed “Qtopia: A Club Kid Rave,” “Prom of Trash” with Wussy magazine, and “Baywitch Goth Beach Party,” along with more broadly appealing parties like “The Powerpop Girls” and “Himbo Dance Party.” Basically, any party NeonHorror wanted to attend, he created and curated for different groups among the LGBTQ+ community.
When Ree de la Vega founded the daytime dance party Chaka Khan Hacienda (IG @chakakhanhacienda), she was also looking to create something different in the male-dominated club scene.
“I felt like everything in clubs was
geared towards men,” she said. But she wanted to create “something cute” for femmes and queers. The popular daytime party has traveled across Atlanta, from the former 8Arm restaurant on Ponce de Leon Avenue to Pullman Yards in Kirkwood. Chaka Khan Hacienda now resides at Underground Atlanta. While Chaka is still alive and well, de la Vega has redirected some of her energy into helping other DJs and promoters find performance space at her Old Fourth Ward music club Pisces.
“I think people don’t understand how expensive [DIY] is,” she said. “I bring in the stage [for Chaka], the DJ equipment, I rent the table that the DJ equipment sits on,” she said. “I have to rent the gates, I have to pay for event permits, I have to pay for APD, I have to pay for security. It’s a lot of work, it’s really expensive.”
De la Vega said that a Chaka Khan Hacienda party can cost upwards of $19,000.
Instead of paying those costs themselves, DJs and promoters only have to worry about “what [they’re] gonna drink and what [they’re] gonna play” when they perform at Pisces and often end up making more money than they would at larger venues.
Collaboration is the keystone of Atlanta’s DIY and alternative queer nightlife scene. While the acronym suggests you do it by yourself, cooperation is a necessary component in creating spaces throughout the city where marginalized people feel at home, even if just for a night.
“We all have different experience levels and different groups that we’re tapped into,” Wild Cherry, a member of the queer DJ collective Deep South said. “Once they’re all in that same place, this beautiful community emerges.”
“For people who have been in the scene for a long time and people who are newer to the scene, you still really feel connected to the cultural diversity here, which is what I think makes Atlanta really beautiful.”
Where to go
If you want to dive deeper into Atlanta’s diverse and varying parties, raves, and events, here are some other collectives and organizers bringing LGBTQ+ Atlantans together to dance, celebrate, and revel in unapologetic queer joy.
Gimmick (IG @gimmicksounds)
Stroke (IG @stroke.bpm)
Fat Puss (IG @gorpiana)
Queen Butch (IG @queenbutchofficial)
Puddin Pop Parties (IG @puddinpopparties)
Unruly (IG @unruly.atl)
VLSC Records (IG @vlscrecords)
Market Hugs (IG @market_hugs)
Backpack
Brunch, beats, and giving back.
Enjoy great food, craft cocktails, entertainment, and a fabulous silent auction—all to help local kids head back to school with confidence, pride, and the supplies they need to succeed.
Purchasing a $40 virtual backpack secures your entry into backpack party.
‘The Many Passions of Michael Hardwick’ recalls a pivotal moment in LGBTQ+ activism
By Collin Kelley
Author Martin Padgett has a way of summoning back an Atlanta that now only exists in memory, historical archives, and YouTube videos. In his first book, “A Night at the Sweet Gum Head,” Padgett tapped into the intersection of the gay rights movement and the drag scene that flourished in the city in the 1970s.
Now, in his new nonfiction book “The Many Passions of Michael Hardwick: Sex and the Supreme Court in the Age of AIDS,” Padgett recreates Atlanta in the 1980s and cements Hardwick as a historical figure, whose selfless act of defiance still reverberates in today’s politics.
The book details Hardwick’s 1982 arrest for sodomy in his Virginia-Highland home and his fight to have the arcane law overturned by the Supreme Court. An unassuming bartender and artist, Padgett writes that Hardwick wasn’t looking for the spotlight or to have his name associated with gay rights. But the swell of anger over the invasion of his privacy put him in the headlines across the country in the 1980s.
Hardwick ultimately lost the case and would die of an AIDS-related illness in 1991 before Georgia finally overturned its sodomy law in 1998. It would be a new century before SCOTUS ruled in the Lawrence v. Texas case, which struck
down sodomy laws nationwide in 2003.
However, Georgia is one of 12 states that never officially repealed its sodomy law, which opens the door for it to be resurrected if the courts move against LGBTQ+ rights.
Hardwick galvanized the gay rights movement in the 80s, with the loss of his case decried as one of the Supreme Court’s most reviled rulings and led to protests here and across the U.S.
Today, privacy rights remain under fire by conservative politicians and the churches that back them. Abortion, contraception, and marriage equality are all still in play under the Trump administration, so Hardwick’s story is a good primer on where this fight began. There are elected officials in Georgia who support reinstating and enforcing the sodomy law, turning back the clock on privacy and civil rights.
Padgett had already been researching for his book on Hardwick while still promoting “A Night at the Sweet Gum Head” in 2021. The key was finding family
and friends who could flesh out a portrait of Hardwick and reveal the man behind the headlines and court documents.
“Michael only spent four years in Atlanta in total,” Padgett said. “It was a puzzle to solve, because Michael lived in so many places as he endured the pain and public humiliation, and later his illness.”
Padgett would eventually land an interview with Hardwick’s last surviving sister, Susan, and then later with his attorney, Kathy Wilde, who led him to more legal contacts who had worked or had knowledge of the court case.
Like with “Sweet Gum Head,” Padgett returned to the archives of the Atlanta History Center, Georgia State University,
and Emory University to create a backdrop of Atlanta in the 80s. Long-gone LGBTQ+ party haunts like Backstreet and The Cove, where Hardwick worked as a bartender, are rendered in rich detail.
Padgett, who lived in Atlanta for more than 20 years before relocating to Penscola, FL, said he’s still shocked by the onslaught of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and attempts to roll back rights unleashed after Trump’s second election.
“I thought we had won all these things in 2015 when Obergefell v. Hodges ushered in marriage equality,” Padgett said. “I steadfastly believed we wouldn’t be here at this moment up until Nov. 5.”
Former President Joe Biden appears in the epilogue of “The Many Passions of Michael Hardwick,” answering a question sent to him by Padgett in 2023. Biden states that he’s “never been more optimistic about the future of America.”
“The note from Biden is a bittersweet ‘what could have been’,” Padgett said. “It will take a generation to overcome the obstacles put in our way these next four years.”
Padgett will read and sign his book on Thursday, July 31, 6:30 p.m. at the DeKalb History Center. Get more details at dekalbhistory.org.
Franklin Abbott’s new poetry collection born from COVID lockdown
By Collin Kelley
Decatur resident Franklin Abbott has been a guiding presence in LGBTQ+ activism in Atlanta for more than 50 years.
Abbott was active in Civil Rights and anti-war protests before joining the nascent gay rights movement in the early 1970s. While attending the University of Georgia, he joined the Committee on Gay Education, which led to a broader knowledge of LGBTQ+ activism happening around the country.
Abbott was an original member of the Radical Faeries, a loosely affiliated worldwide network and countercultural movement blending queer consciousness and secular spirituality, and co-founded the Atlanta Circle of Healing and established the Atlanta Queer Literary Festival.
His correspondence with gay men, poets, and radicals from all over the world –including Harry Hay, James Broughton, and Assotto Saint – is a backbone of his extensive archive housed at Georgia State University.
The author of two books of poetry, “Mortal Love: Selected Poems, 19711998” and “Pink Zinnia,” he also edited three noted anthologies on men and
gender, including “Boyhood: Growing up Male.”
Abbott’s new book, “My Ordinary Life,” was born from his experiences during the COVID-19 lockdown, which forced him to take stock of his life. The book was published by RFD Press in June.
“It was an intense time for everyone,” Abbott said, “but I had certain things happening in my personal life that made it more intense.”
Abbott’s mother died during the pandemic, which left him and his family to care for his elderly father, who
had increasing dementia. On top of that, Abbott had also undergone a double knee replacement and was still regaining his mobility, adding more anxiety.
“Because of COVID, I couldn’t go to live music, see plays or go to literary events, so all the things I would normally do to distract and reorient myself away from the difficult parts of life were unavailable,” Abbott recalled.
As a psychotherapist, Abbott’s work also became narrowed to Zoom calls with clients with short breaks to putter in his garden, take distanced walks with friends in local parks, and spend time amusing his two cats.
Like millions of other people, Abbott was forced to slow down, and in that stillness, “My Ordinary Life” took shape. The result is a collection of “story poems,” which Abbott describes as a “memoir in poetry.” There are moving
poems about the death of Abbott’s mother, his trips to Nashville to care for his declining father, gathering with friends in his COVID “bubble,” and finding solace in the small things.
On May 24, a live reading with an audience of friends and loved ones was taped at Art Station Theatre in Stone Mountain. That film will be used to promote “My Ordinary Life” across social media this summer. He’s planning a series of live readings and book signings later in the year.
With the current political climate, Abbott’s activism continues, and he encourages young people to take up the LGBTQ+ rights cause and any other that moves them. But, Abbott said to be sure to balance activism and maintaining a full life.
“It’s always good to have something going – an interest in music, movies, games you like to play,” Abbott said. “You can’t let the political narrative be the only narrative. Everybody’s story is important, so stay connected to your support system and try to find joy and that will make you a better activist.”
Martin Padgett
Franklin Abbott
‘Noah’s Arc: The Movie’ catches up with iconic characters in new story
Courtesy Paramount+/Showtime
By Jim Farmer
“Noah’s Arc: The Movie” – now streaming on Paramount+/ Showtime – is an audience favorite that never truly went away.
Regarded as the first scripted television series to revolve around a group of Black gay men, the series – created, written and directed by Patrik-Ian Polk – ran from 2005 – 2006, followed by the theatrical release “Noah’s Arc: Jumping the Broom” in 2008. In 2020, the cast joined together for “Noah’s Arc: The ‘Rona Chronicles,” an hour-long special. Now the new film, celebrating the series’ 20th anniversary, brings all the characters back.
The project was filmed entirely in Atlanta, but made to look like Los Angeles.
One of the main plotlines of the new film is the decision by Noah (Darryl Stephens) and Wade (Jensen Atwood) to have children, in this case twins. They are facing what a lot of couples face when they decide to have kids now – how to take care of them.
“Unless you are independently wealthy, kids cost a lot of money,” says Polk. “If you are a two-income household, you have to figure out how you are going to work everything out. For Noah and Wade, it’s an interesting conundrum for two men because you have the masculine energy, whereas in straight couples, it’s assumed that the woman will be the primary caregiver for the children. When you have two men, what’s it going to be when you have two men who have careers? They are really at an interesting crossroads. They are both desperate to be fathers, but neither wants to give up their career.”
In addition to new parenthood, the movie deals with Alex (Rodney Chester) and Trey (Gregory Kieth) raising a teenager. “The little baby we met in ‘Jumping the Broom’ is now a terrible teen, a terrible trans teen,” says Polk. “I think it’s interesting playing with this idea that you think just because you have a trans child, and you happen to be a gay man who does drag like Alex does, that there is going to be an automatic camaraderie/compatibility/ understanding. No – a trans teen is still a teen. They are still going to rebel against their parents like any teen would.”
For Ricky (Christian Vincent) and Chance (Doug Spearman), Polk wanted to
showcase the reality of gay men moving into middle age, whether it’s dealing with health issues or other matters.
Wilson Cruz returns here as Junito Vargas and there are appearances by TC Carson and TS Madison. Jasmine Guy also has a funny cameo.
“She is a legend,” says Polk. “To get her to be in the film is a feat. Lots of film crews are heavily white men. Those straight white men went gaga when Jasmine stepped on that set. You forget – she’s not just a Black icon. ‘A Different World’ was massive. Everyone watched that show so all of those white men who were teenagers at the time, she was one of their pinups. It was wonderful to see her get that kind of love and excitement and energy.”
Polk first had the idea for the series in 2003. It was July 4th weekend, which is L.A. Black Pride, and he remembers going to the kick-off party. Walking in and scanning the crowd looking for his friends, he was struck with the idea that no one was making programming for this community. “This is a community that is viable, that have jobs and money, and people have flown in from across the country to attend this Pride.”
He decided then and there to make a show. “It was a Black ‘Sex and the City,’ and I would market it directly to the community and not to Hollywood because no one in Hollywood was going to say yes to this.”
That was a Friday night and on Sunday he put in casting notices and came up with these character ideas. Polk started writing the script on Monday and soon after he and his team shot the first short film called “No Glove, No Love.” It was about Noah and Wade coming home from a date and deciding to have sex.
“That short film blew up and I knew I was on to something. We kept it going, raised some money from a large group of successful Black gay men to shoot the pilot, kept on screening and getting all this attention. MTV/Logo came to me and said they had heard about this show I had done, and the next thing you know this series that I never thought would be on TV was on TV.”
It’s been interesting for him to revisit these characters and watch them grow.
“When we started the show, these characters were in their 20s and 30s and 20 years later they are in their 40s and 50s. That is a different point of view for gay men, for anyone really.”
Polk is 25 years into this filmmaking career. When he started out he was just a young aspiring artist who wanted to see himself and people like him and his community on screen. “It was very simple –and 20 years on to have people still tell me how much the show meant to them in the journey. People tell me they were literally hiding in the closet watching the show or keeping their finger on the remote and the Last button in case someone walked into the room. That alone highlights the importance
of the show and that younger gays and everyone discovered it. It is a beautiful thing when work you do has legs and people remember it and people are still talking about it 20 years later.”
Polk, who lives in Atlanta and in Los Angeles, would love to see “Noah’s Arc” become a series again. “My hope is that when we do well, Paramount+/Showtime will bring us in for a full series reboot. We are ready!”
Audio GayTL is Atlanta’s new LGBTQ+ streaming radio station
By Katie Burkholder
With decades in the radio industry, Ron Roberts is bridging the gap between radio and streaming with a new niche audio station for Atlanta’s LGBTQ+ community.
In a world where music, podcasts, and audiobooks are available at any place and any time, the radio industry is struggling. According to a consumer insights survey from Statistica, only eight percent of American respondents listened to the radio for eleven hours or more a week. But with so many choices at our fingertips, choice paralysis can keep us in an audio rut.
Audio GayTL moves away from the homogenization and depersonalization of broadcast radio into what Roberts calls “narrowcasting.” The station features music and local personalities specifically curated for the LGBTQ+ community.
“It’s important that we have a space for ourselves and those who support us,” Roberts told Georgia Voice. “This is our realm, you’re on our turf now. You’re welcome here, as long as you’re friendly and respectful.”
Tune into Audio GayTL and you’ll hear dance pop from artists like Lady Gaga, Shakira, and Tegan and Sarah, followed by an ad from a local Pride organization, followed by the Audio GayTL jingle: “Our proud voices, our music choices.”
While listening feels similar to turning the dial to a favorite morning show – there
are even blocks where listeners can submit requests – the station is available to stream from anywhere. You also won’t be stuck with 15-minute ad breaks: Audio GayTL keeps “the sales pitch to a minimum and the dance b*tch to a maximum” with only about three minutes of ads per hour.
Roberts is currently the only personality, on air every weekday from 2 to 6 p.m., but he plans for the station to be “a conduit for our community to talk to each other, about each other, and with each other” with other featured personalities representing the wide spectrum of Atlanta’s LGBTQ+ community.
Roberts also plans to utilize the station to platform Atlanta’s LGBTQ+ nonprofit organizations by giving them airtime to cover events, promote their work, and engage with the community.
“The idea isn’t to just be a jukebox, to be a dance pop station with some throwbacks,” Roberts said. “That’s the hallmark of what Audio GayTL is, but I want it to be more about the community.” You can listen to Audio GayTL at audiogaytl.com, via iHeart, or download the app on the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.
Ron Roberts (Courtesy Audio GayTL)
Audio GayTL’s mascot Herschel. (Courtesy Audio GayTL)
Best Bets
▲RuPaul’s Drag Race winner brings Angeria’s Big Break to Out Front Theatre on July 12 at 8 p.m. The onewoman show finds Angeria auditioning to host her own talk show – improvising the whole bit in front of a mystery TV executive. Get tickets at outfronttheatre. com.
Lavender Fest returns for a second season July 16-20 at Out Front Theatre Company, offering a unique blend of new queer theatre performances from around the country. See the line-up and get tickets at lavender-fest.com.
“Tangerine”’ starring Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Mya Taylor, and James Ransone. The screening is July 17 at 7:30 p.m. at Lore. Get more details and tickets at outonfilm.org.
The 10th anniversary Pancakes & Booze Art Show returns to Underground Atlanta on July 19 from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m., featuring more than 100 local artists plus all-youcan-eat pancakes. Get more information at pancakesandbooze.com.
Femme Frequency, an R&B all-night dance experience for women who love women ages 25 and up, is set for July 19, 10 p.m. at Casa Almenara. 991 Piedmont Ave. Get tickets and more information by searching for Femme Frequency at eventbrite.com.
Monster Show For Monsters is an alternate reality variety show featuring music, comedy, burlesque, drag, storytelling, magic, and more on July 21, 8 p.m. at Red Light Cafe. Get more information at redlightcafe.com.
The Dirty South Film Festival, which celebrates pleasure, kink, and creative freedom, is coming to The Plaza Theatre on July 25. The festival showcases boundary-pushing films from sex workers, indie filmmakers, and artists across the globe who explore kink, BDSM, and erotic expression through powerful storytelling.
Find out more by searching for the event name at eventbrite.com.
▲Put on your lederhosen and practice your best Maria von Trapp impressions for “Sing-a-Long Sound of Music,” part of the Coca-Cola Film Series at The Fox Theatre on July 27, 4 p.m. Get tickets at foxtheatre.org.
Charis and Georgia Center for the Book welcome Mia Tsai in conversation with L. D. Lewis for a discussion of “The Memory Hunters,” a sapphic, dark academia-adjacent, climate dystopia – with mushrooms. The event is July 29, 7 p.m. at the Decatur Library. Get more details at charisbooksandmore.com.
For even more events, visit thegavoice.com and be sure to sign up for our weekly Crosswalk newsletter while you’re there.
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra announces new season
By Georgia Voice Staff
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra is set to open its 2025/2026 season on Oct. 3-5, showcasing a music lineup revolving around themes like “triumph and heroism,” according to the organization.
Taking place at Atlanta Symphony Hall, the weekend concert opens with a rendition of “Fanfare for the Common Man,” a famous Copland piece that has been abundantly featured in movies, sporting events and memorials, said Atlanta Symphony.
Conducting “Fanfare” is Nathalie Stutzmann, Atlanta Symphony’s music director who is entering her fourth season with the orchestra.
As the second woman in history to lead a major American orchestra, Stutzmann has garnered several awards, including ‘Best Conductor’ of the year at the 2024 Oper! Awards, “Concerto Recording of the Year” in 2023 and “Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur” (the highest honor in France).
Following “Fanfare” is a performance of Elgar’s “Cello Concerto,” featuring accomplished cellist Alisa Weilerstein.
Weilerstein is one of the world’s leading cellists, having performed at prestigious venues such as Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall and Berliner Philharmonie.
Renowned for her “consummate artistry, emotional investment and rare interpretive depth,” Weilerstein has earned various acclaim, including The New York Times, which described her playing style as: “Vibrato saturated with meaning, her lyricism slinking and menacingly enigmatic.”
The concert series concludes with Strauss’ “Ein Heldenleben,” a tone poem that Atlanta Symphony Orchestra says is “a brilliantly orchestrated, theatrically conceived and emotionally layered masterpiece that captures both the grandeur and complexity of a ‘hero’s’ journey.”
Tickets for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s season-opening concert are on sale now at aso.org.
Nathalie Stutzmann (Courtesy ASO)
Atlanta restaurateur Gee Smalls releases memoir audiobook
By Katie Burkholder
Five years following the release of his memoir “Black Enough, Man Enough: Embracing My Mixed Race and Sexual Fluidity,” Virgil’s Gullah Kitchen and Bar co-owner Gee Smalls released the selfnarrated audiobook version for Pride month and Juneteenth.
Smalls’ memoir began as a joint endeavor with his husband, Juan, when they went to a writing coach to explore creating a book together. While Juan didn’t resonate with the writing, Smalls said he couldn’t stop after being given a prompt to briefly write about his background.
“I just couldn’t stop writing and realized how much I had been through and how much I was still going through, how many things I didn’t heal [from],” he told Georgia Voice. “So I just kept writing.”
The book spans Smalls’ entire life, starting with his Gullah Geechee roots in Charleston (which informs the menu at
Virgil’s Gullah Kitchen on Marietta Street in Atlanta) as the child of a Black father and white mother, whose family disowned her after having a Black child. Throughout his childhood as an effeminate mixed-race boy, Smalls said he felt like an outsider while his peers attacked him with racial and homophobic slurs.
“[The book is] about that struggle and how I identified growing up in a Black neighborhood and being rejected by the white side of my family, and what it was like becoming comfortable being mixed race,” Smalls said.
“Black Enough, Man Enough” continues through his adulthood, after he marries and has a child with his high school sweetheart, and spends time in the “shadows of the down-low” before getting divorced. The book also explores the full extent of Smalls’ sexuality and eventually becoming a vocal advocate for racial and LGBTQ+ equality.
While Smalls did not intend to release
the audiobook in time for Pride and Juneteenth, he said that his story about finding the freedom to be oneself is timely, amidst June’s celebrations as well as the political turmoil BIPOC LGBTQ+ people are facing across the country right now.
“We have a man in office who is currently trying to erase [us] by taking away our rights,” Smalls said. “So, I think it’s time for us to speak even louder.”
“Black Enough, Man Enough: Embracing My Mixed Race and Sexual Fluidity” is available in print and audio through Amazon.
Tequila brand embodies ‘spirit’ of Pride year-round
By Katie Burkholder
Pride Month and Juneteenth may have passed for another year, but a local tequila brand is keeping that spirit flowing all year long.
With a name literally meaning “true freedom,” Black- and LGBTQ+-owned tequila company Reyalibre offers a premium sipping tequila.
The brand was formulated to fulfill both E Jones and her wife Asiaa Karriem’s desires for the spirit: one likes to sip it neat, while the other likes it mixed in a cocktail.
“We were spending quite a bit of money on different types of tequila,” Jones told Georgia Voice. “So, we said, ‘Hey, we should just make our own.’”
When Jones and Karriem embarked
on their “amazing journey” to create their own tequila formula in 2019, neither had any experience in alcohol formulation. After five years of traveling to and from Mexico, perfecting their formula, the couple said they had learned everything they needed to know to finally make the versatile tequila they wanted, one that was delicious neat, chilled, or mixed.
After a “whirlwind” year on shelves in Atlanta, the brand is thriving. They’ve won several awards, including the Latin World Spirits Award from Mexico and the Bartender Spirits Award, and have outgrown their distributor with the volume of orders.
As a tequila meant for sipping instead of shooting, the couple said Reyalibre invites people to slow down and enjoy life on their own terms. By catering the brand specifically to BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other marginalized Atlantans, Jones and Karriem hope to encourage their customer base to celebrate and relish in the pleasures and freedoms won by those who came before them.
“We’re a brand that embodies authenticity and
freedom and we want to be in spaces where people live an elevated, liberated experience,” Karriem said. “…When our ancestors struck out to make a change, they didn’t want us to then walk around with our heads down in hiding. They wanted us to live at an authentic, elevated level. They wanted the good life for us, too, and that’s what our brand embodies.” Reyalibre is currently available for purchase at liquor stores throughout Atlanta and online. To find a retailer near you, visit reyalibretequila.com/wheretobuy.
Reyalibre founders Asiaa Karriem (left) and E Jones. (Photo via Instagram)
Courtesy Reyalibre
Meet some of the lovable mascots of Atlanta restaurants
By Sarra Sedghi
Restaurants are more than a source of sustenance.
Sometimes, they’re the cat inspecting used dishes or the cockatoo greeting you on the trek from the parking lot. These pets quickly become unofficial restaurant mascots, whether they like it or not, but in most cases, they love the attention.
Get to know the mascots repping six Atlanta restaurants, from a trio of tropical
birds greeting diners at R. Thomas Deluxe Grill to the Maltipoo lending support at Polish pop-up Beksa Lala to the feline maître d’ at Monday night supper club Wick and Nick’s.
Hoshi Minhwa Spirits
Hoshi started hanging around the Minhwa Spirits patio after the distillery and restaurant incubator opened last year in Doraville.
Named for a South Korean pop singer, whose fans insist resembles a cat, the human Hoshi is known for his felinelike gestures. Hoshi, the actual cat, is best known for his coy antics on Minhwa’s patio.
“He plays hard to get. [He] will roll around meowing,” said Minhwa Spirits co-owner Ming Han Chung. “One step towards him, and he’s gone.”
Hoshi quickly amassed a small fan club — Chung says Minhwa has had multiple customers visit in hopes of seeing the mischievous orange cat. Those who can’t approach Hoshi, however, can still claim a version of him thanks to local illustrator Tiffblot.
“He’s on a keychain we give away,” Chung said.
Andrew Lee, co-owner of Postern Coffee at Minhwa Spirits, tried to take Hoshi in, but was never able to get close enough to catch the stray cat. Minhwa beverage director James Sung (Palo Santo, Umi) is currently trying to catch Hoshi, too.
appearance when she showed up on the West End porch.
“When we first saw her, it looked like she didn’t have a left eye,” Piechoczek said. “Turns out it was just infected, and we got it treated.”
Lisa has become well adjusted to pop-up life. Sometimes when Piechoczek is cooking Polish food for Beksa Lala at Boggs Social and Supply in Westview, her partner, Drew, drops by with the Maltipoo mutt in tow.
“She has quickly become a celebrity there,” Piechoczek said.
Lisa tags along with Piechoczek on prep trips, but stays out of the kitchen. Customers are more likely to encounter the Beksa Lala mascot on a run to drop off pierogi and to check stock at Pure Quill Superette.
Bowie
Pure Quill Superette/Rising Son/Whoopsie’s French Bulldog Bowie might just be
He worries for Hoshi, because cats living outdoors are exposed to more danger. Chung’s friend, MJ Kim, works with local rescues and has provided guidance, cat food, and a trap-neuter-return (TNR) for Hoshi.
In the meantime, Chung is considering creating and selling a Hoshi sticker to help raise funds for a local animal shelter or animal rescue.
Lisa “Left Eye” Low Paws
Polish pop-up Beksa Lala
Lisa walked right into Basia Piechoczek’s life—or, rather, onto her neighbor’s porch. Piechoczek and her partner knew it wasn’t the neighbor’s dog, so they lured her with roast beef and brought her to the Atlanta Humane Society’s new Fulton Industrial location to check for a microchip and to spay the dog. When no one claimed her, they quickly adopted Lisa.
“As soon as she jumped in my lap, I knew she would become part of the family,” Piechoczek said.
Lisa’s name is a reference to the late TLC music group member and Atlanta native Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, and the dog’s
the IT dog of Atlanta’s dining scene. Chef Hudson Rouse’s family has had Bowie for five years now.
“My mom and daughter brought him home one day even though I said we didn’t need a puppy,” Rouse said.
In that time, Bowie has overseen the development of Rouse’s two most recent restaurants, Pure Quill Superette and Whoopsie’s. Rouse said Bowie started hanging out with him during the construction of Whoopsie’s two years ago.
“He loved to sit at the front door and watch people walking down the sidewalk [and] the same thing for Pure Quill,” Rouse said. “Once both got finished, he just kept coming up [to the restaurants] because he became such a staple. All of our employees love him as well as the customers.”
Now, of course, Bowie is just as much a part of Rouse’s restaurants as in-house jam at Rising Son or Whoopsie’s blue plate specials on plastic trays. Bowie can manipulate Rouse to bring him along with a signature stare. He gets more exercise and pets at Pure Quill, Rouse said, but receives more snacks and kisses at Whoopsie’s.
Bowie also frequents Rising Son’s
Lisa at the Beksa Lala pop-up at Boggs Social and Supply. (Photo by Ryan Fleisher)
Bowie, owned by Chef Hudson Rouse, is the unofficial mascot of Whoopsie’s and Pure Quill Superette. (Photo by Ryan Fleisher)
bar and patio in Avondale Estates and meticulously checks the floor for biscuit crumbs (sadly for Bowie, they’re seldom to none). Fortunately, he gets better luck with meat scraps at Pure Quill.
“He sits directly down from the butcher counter at any time someone is cutting meat,” Rouse said. “He knows he’s going to get a snack.”
Waylon
Wick and Nick’s Supper Club
Those lucky enough to have attended a Wick and Nick’s Blueblood dinner have likely encountered Waylon slinking around the loft apartment or even rubbing against their legs. Chefs Ben Skolnick and Jared Warwick are well aware that Waylon is part of their Monday night supper club’s spectacle. Waylon’s catlanta lineage runs deep — he and four other kittens were found near The Earl in East Atlanta Village and were housed by a local cat lady for eight weeks.
Waylon eventually ended up with the supper club duo, although he did spend nearly a year with Skolnick’s grandmother, Mary Lou Heidt, before she passed away. It was Heidt who taught Waylon etiquette. Holiday dinner parties introduced Waylon to hosting, and more importantly, duck.
“His first nibble had him hooked and wailing for more ever since,” Skolnick said. “We’ve even caught him listening to conversations during menu development and making suggestive gestures of approval when duck is mentioned.”
Waylon has since learned to flourish during the pop-up dinners. He regularly makes his rounds, seeking pets and sometimes offering head butts as a sign of approval. He’s acted out as well, surreptitiously untying the shoelaces of guests on four occasions.
Ruby, Peaches, and Cream
R. Thomas Deluxe Grill
On Monday mornings, a chorus of squawks rings from R. Thomas Deluxe Grill’s iconic bird cages. Ruby, Peaches, and Cream are excited to see their mom.
Cheryl Krawchuk, a retired nurse and longtime Papaygo Rescue House volunteer, has been tending to the R. Thomas birds for about 20 years. In that time, the flock has dwindled.
A few have died. Sparkle, a yellow-naped Amazon parrot, found a home with one of Krawchuk’s fellow Papaygo volunteers.
Krawchuk shows up on Mondays to help preen the birds and give each of them one-on-one time. As prey animals, birds are naturally suspicious, but regular exposure to customers and a bond with someone they trust — in this case, Krawchuk — have made these tropical birds very friendly.
People who stop by the cages may encounter Krawchuk at work with the birds and get the chance to observe Ruby’s affectionate wing stretches or Peaches and Cream press their heads against the bars in hopes of a scratch — and, of course, a chance to hear them speak: Hello! Bye-bye! Pretty bird!
“They talk when they feel like it,” Krawchuk said. “They learn what they want to, what sounds cool to them.”
Ruby, a macaw hybrid, was originally one of late-founder Richard Thomas’ pets, while the Moluccan cockatoos Peaches and Cream were purchased at a bird show 18 years ago.
With the restaurant up for sale, however, the future of the birds remains uncertain; Thomas’ granddaughter has offered to adopt Ruby, and Krawchuk says Peaches and Cream are welcome at Papaygo if they can’t immediately find owners, because the
two birds will have to be adopted as a pair to keep the brothers together.
Spot
Your 3rd Spot
Spot, a one-year-old Italian Greyhound, fits a lot of spirit and affection into her 10-pound frame.
“She’s full of energy, loves to jump and run, and absolutely lights up around other dogs,” said Josh Rossmeisl, Your 3rd Spot’s founder and chief vision officer. “While she can be a little nervous, at first, she quickly warms up, especially when she’s around
people.”
Rossmeisl didn’t have to ponder too hard on Spot’s name; brand ties aside, the “Chief Barketing Officer” has — you guessed it — a spot on her neck. Spot often greets people at the entrance to Your 3rd Spot, but she can also be found walking around The Works complex on Chattahoochee Avenue getting groomed (or treats) at Woof Gang Bakery and Grooming, or running at nearby Fetch Dog Park. When Spot isn’t at Your 3rd Spot, you can find her photo on the wall there.
Ruby squawks for the camera at R. Thomas Deluxe Grill in Buckhead. (Photo by Ryan Fleisher)
Spot, an Italian Greyhound, is the mascot at Your 3rd Spot. (Photo by Ryan Fleisher)
• Free STD Screening & Treatment
• HIV Testing & Linkage to HIV care
• PrEP Services
