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INSIDE • AIDS Walk Atlanta P4 • Decatur Book Festival P14
September 26th • piedmont park
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CONTENTS
EDITOR’S NOTE I will always love Dolly Parton Dolly Parton’s death was a gut-punch. I was a lifelong fan, discovering her old 1970s television variety show when I was 5 years old. I was so obsessed that my parents bought me the Dolly doll that was released in 1976 when I found it at a KB Toy Store (remember them?!) in the mall. When I posted that story on my social media, a number of my followers praised COLLIN my mom and dad KELLEY for buying me a doll when so many parents of that era would have shoved a GI Joe action figure in their sons’ hands and told them that “Dolly was for girls.” My parents were open-minded (partly because my Uncle Terry - my mom’s beloved brother – was gay) and also music lovers, but with very different tastes. Dolly was one of the artists we could all agree on. I think the world felt that way. The outpouring of grief and social media tributes from all corners of the globe was indicative of the goodwill and joy she brought to folks. Dolly was a light in the darkness for so many people. She was a true Christian, not a Sunday-morning Bible-verse cherry-
picker who judged others. Dolly was a strong, outspoken ally to the LGBTQ+ community, which endeared her to me even more. In 1995, Dolly created her nonprofit Imagination Library, initially sending free books to children in her native Sevier County in Tennessee. What began as a hometown gesture grew into an international literacy program that now sends millions of books each month to children from birth to age 5, regardless of their family's income. Through the Dollywood Foundation, Parton supported education, scholarships, and families recovering from disasters. She also made major personal gifts to medical research, including funding research that led to the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. Her sister, Stella, said on social media that Dolly allowed her doctors to try experimental drugs to treat her cancer for research purposes. But, of course, it’s Dolly’s music and movies that will be her lasting legacy. I still have my old 45s and cassette tapes of Dolly’s singles and albums. And I have very distinct memories of going to see “9 to 5” on its opening weekend (with everyone singing along to Dolly’s theme song) and crying my eyes out at “Steel Magnolias.” In 2002, Dolly played an intimate show at Center Stage Theatre in Midtown, and
Atlanta Intown A
it was a thrill to be so close to her while she sang all the hits. When it was time for “Jolene,” she changed the name of the song to “Drag Queen” and had local queens on stage with her. We are living through a particularly dark time, with the nonsense coming from Washington, D.C., the ongoing wars, the economy, the ever-widening gap between the haves and the have-nots. Dolly was an antidote to that darkness. Her empathy, positivity, and embrace of all kinds of people were a counterbalance to the politicians and policymakers who try to divide us. As a cancer survivor myself, I am awed that she was able to keep making appearances in person and on social media. Always with a smile, always with hope even as she must have been exhausted and in pain. That selflessness is a lesson for us all. Dolly famously joked about her appearance, often repeating the line, “It costs a lot of money to look this cheap.” The truth is that behind that sassy persona was a woman who believed in the basic goodness of people. She didn’t make a spectacle of her generosity, ask for buildings to be named after her, or play favorites. Dolly said when she saw a need, she immediately wanted to help, and she did. May we all be more like Dolly.
COMMUNITY
AIDS Walk Atlanta
4
Pride Festivals
4
Blair Wins Runoff
6
Georgia Equality Endorsements
6
News Roundup
8
SnapCo Fundraiser
10
SPECIAL SECTION
Decatur Book Festival
14-18
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Out on Film Preview
19
Mary’s Bar
22
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SEPTEMBER 2026 |
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COMMUNITY Kelly Rowland to headline 35th annual AIDS Walk Atlanta By Katie Burkholder
Courtesy AIDS Walk Atlanta
The 35th Annual AIDS Walk Atlanta Music Festival and 5K Run returns to Piedmont Park on Sept. 26 to raise money for HIV and AIDS organizations. AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the world’s largest non-profit HIV/AIDS health care organization, hosts the annual event, which raises more than $1 million each year for Atlanta-based HIV and AIDS service organizations. This year’s beneficiaries are AID Atlanta, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, A Vision for Hope, Aniz Inc., Bridge of Light, Center for Black Women’s Wellness, Georgia Equality, Lost-n-Found Youth, Positive Impact Health Centers, Rustin Institute, Status: Home, and Trans Women of Color Healing Project. The event beginning at 9 a.m. with registration before the walk/run begins at 11 a.m. Following the run will be a music festival at 11:45 a.m. Globally acclaimed, award-winning singer, songwriter, and actor Kelly Rowland will headline this year’s music festival. She’ll be joined by Atlanta-based contemporary R&B artist Algebra Blassett and DJ Sed. “This annual event offers a time to create a greater awareness of the impact of HIV and AIDS on the local Atlanta community as well as an opportunity to
Kelly Rowland (Courtesy AWA)
bring together thousands of individuals from across the region to raise critical funds for these 12 worthy organizations,” Dr. Felicia Ivey, AHF Atlanta Regional Director, said. “AHF is proud to present this event and to have Kelly Rowland and Algebra join us as one of the many ways that we educate and empower the local community to join the fight against HIV and AIDS.” Information on registering for the AIDS Walk Atlanta, creating a team, or joining a team can be found at aidswalkatlanta.org.
Pride festivals happening across Georgia By Katie Burkholder and Collin Kelley Atlanta Black Pride Weekend One of the country’s leading annual celebrations of Black LGBTQ+ community returns to Atlanta from Sept. 2 to 7 with a week of entertainment, empowerment and community engagement. ABPW includes an expansive lineup of signature events, including the 14th Annual Pure Heat Community Festival at Piedmont Park, Influencer’s Dinner, R&B Brunch, empowerment brunches, the all-new Atlanta Black Pride Blood Drive, and nightly parties at some of Atlanta’s premier venues. Tickets, festival registration, and a complete schedule of activities are available at atlantaprideweekend.com. Pride Lake The Pine Lake community in DeKalb County will hold its annual Pride festival on Sept. 12. Details were still in the works at press time, but expect drag performances and a march around the lake. Get more details at pridelake.org.
4 | SEPTEMBER 2026
Courtesy Macon Pride
Equality Fest This all-day outdoor festival will be held at Midland Greenway in Gainesville with art, music, drag, and more. Get details at equalityfestga.com. Macon Pride The Macon Pride Festival will begin on Sept. 24 with the Lively Libations Beer Release at Piedmont Brewery and Kitchen. The festivities continue on Sept. 25, with the Haus Party at Churchill’s on Cherry,
featuring “RuPaul’s Drag Race” season 12 winner Jaida Essence Hall. The Pride in the Park celebration kicks off on Sept. 26 at Cherry Street Plaza, with performances, vendors, and community groups from 2 to 8 p.m., before the afterparty at the Tubman Museum, which starts at 8:30 p.m. The weekend concludes on Sunday with an Interfaith Service at Rose Parks Square from 4 to 8 p.m. More information about Macon Pride can be found at maconpride.org. THEGAVOICE.COM
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Blair wins runoff, makes history in the process
Photo by Alander Rocha/Georgia Recorder
By Alander Rocha | Georgia Recorder Everton Blair, a former Gwinnett County Board of Education chair, is headed to Washington to finish out the late Congressman David Scott term representing Georgia’s 13th Congressional District after defeating Marcye Scott, the daughter of the late congressman, in a special election on Aug. 25. Blair, a 34-year-old with a doctorate degree in education from Harvard University, is the second Black openly gay man to be elected to Congress and the first representing a Southern state. He ran a progressive campaign by advocating for Medicare for all, speaking out against Israel’s reliance on U.S. tax dollars and its influence in U.S. politics, and pledging to voters that he would be a voice in Washington against President Donald Trump’s policies. “People are craving for change. We want better in our communities, and it is time for us to shift from a status quo that, frankly, has not been working for hardworking Americans,” Blair said in a phone interview Tuesday night. “And this election is one of many that is a testament to what can change if you pick visionaries who are ready to enact an agenda that actually works and actually makes government work for hardworking Americans.”
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Blair received some heavyweight endorsements, with Congresswoman Lucy McBath throwing her support behind his campaign. Georgia House Minority Whip Sam Park joined McBath, as did some of his former opponents in the general primary election: state Sen. Emanuel Jones, reality TV star Dr. Heavenly Kimes and Dr. Joe Lester. But Blair will not be on the November ballot. State Rep. Jasmine Clark, who did not run in the special election, won the May primary and is expected to easily beat her Republican opponent in the safe Democratic seat, representing the district for a full term starting next year. Scott did not immediately return a request for comment Tuesday night. She hinted she would run for her father’s seat shortly after the late Congressman died in April after serving in Congress for more than two decades, leaving the seat unexpectedly vacant after he had qualified in early March to serve another term. Both the state and national Democratic parties praised Blair’s win, with both Democratic Party of Georgia chair Charlie Bailey and Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin saying that Blair will work to make the cost of living more affordable. “I know that Everton will be a congressman who always fights to put Georgia families first,” Martin said in a statement.
GA Equality endorses candidates The Board of Directors of Georgia Equality, the state’s largest political advocacy organization for LGBTQ+ Georgians and their allies, has released its first round of candidate endorsements for the upcoming 2026 general elections. Statewide Offices Governor: Keisha Lance Bottoms Lt. Governor: Josh McLaurin Attorney General: Tanya Miller Insurance Commissioner: Keisha Sean Waites
Labor Commissioner: Nikki Porcher State School Superintendent: Dr. Lydia Powell Georgia Equality has also made endorsements for the State Senate, State House of Representatives, Fulton County Commission, Cobb County Board of Education, and Gwinnett County Commission. See the full list of endorsements at georgiaequalitypac.org. THEGAVOICE.COM
Powered by the chart-topping hits of the undisputed Princess of Pop, Once Upon A One More Time turns our favorite fairytales upside down with a fabulous twist! When a fairy godmother goes rogue and plops copies of The Feminine Mystique in the laps of classic heroines, the damsels (and a very cute, gay prince) embark on a quest to rewrite their stories and redefine “happily ever after.” Once Upon A One More Time weaves 23 of Britney Spears’ smash singles—like “Crazy,” “Oops!…I Did It Again,” “Circus,” “Lucky,” and “Toxic”—into “a big, modern, musical dance party, with Britney’s beating heart at its core.” (ABC News)
OCT 22 – NOV 7, 2026
Tickets: $40+ Out Front Theatre Company 999 Brady Avenue, Atlanta
www.OutFrontTheatre.com
News Roundup done anything wrong. I was willing to show the video footage demonstrating that the noise was not coming from MSR. Instead, I was arrested.”
My Sister’s Room arrest Jen Maguire, the co-owner of the Midtown Atlanta lesbian bar My Sister’s Room (MSR), was arrested in the early morning hours of Aug. 16 after officers received a noise complaint. Atlanta Police Department (APD) officers arrived at MSR at 1:13 a.m. after receiving a noise complaint. According to the incident report, arresting Officer Jayden Joseph “did not hear or witness any loud music” coming from MSR or Seven Midtown, the neighboring bar, but did hear “several patrons [who] were inside [MSR] projecting their voices loudly.” While attempting to make contact with Maguire, Officer Joseph alleged that she refused to provide identification, which led to her arrest. “We knew where our 100-foot marker was, and we had been following those requirements very carefully, especially on Fridays and Saturdays,” Maguire said in an Instagram post. “…I was asked to show my ID. The officer already knew who I was, and I questioned why I needed to provide identification when we had not
Shea Couleé (Courtesy Atlanta Pride)
Shea Couleé performing at Atlanta Pride Drag icon Shea Couleé will join the entertainment lineup for the 2026 Atlanta Pride festival on Oct. 10 – 11. An internationally recognized drag
icon, actor, model and recording artist, Couleé is known for their fashion-forward editorial looks, magnetic screen presence and unapologetic queerness. After winning season five of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars’, Couleé expanded their influence across television, music, fashion and live performance. They became the first drag artist and one of the first non-binary actors to enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe through their role as SLUG in Marvel Studios’ ‘Ironheart’.
HIV knowledge report
GLAAD released the findings of its sixth annual State of HIV Stigma Report, created in partnership with Gilead Sciences. The 2026 survey revealed a widening gap between scientific advancements in HIV treatment and awareness of these advances. According to the report, 44% of Americans do not believe the scientific
fact that when HIV is undetectable, it is untransmittable. Forty-nine percent of adults reported feeling knowledgeable about HIV, a small decrease from 50% in 2020. This decrease is wider among Gen Z, 31% of whom reported feeling knowledgeable about HIV compared to 38% in 2020. Read the full report at glaad.org/ endhivstigma/2026/.
Tucker Pride coloring book
Tucker Pride will release an activity and coloring book and will release the book during an event on Sept. 13. Infinite Realities, Tucker’s comics and gaming store, will host the release party from 2 to 5 p.m. The event will include a button-making station featuring artwork from the book and original art from contributing artists being auctioned off. The event is black-tie optional. LGBTQ+ youth can also enjoy the coloring book the following week at a LGBTQ+ Youth Game Day at Infinite Realities on Sept. 20 from 1 to 4 p.m. Find out more at tuckerpride.org.
MANY, MANY LINGERIE STYLES
Large Selection of Men's Underwear, with New Items Daily
8 | SEPTEMBER 2026
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SnapCo. kicks off $5M fundraising campaign for new home
The Snap Co. Forever Paradise Gala at Center Stage in Atlanta. (Photos by Ansley Kelly)
By Katie Burkholder Solutions Not Punishment Collaborative (SnapCo.), a Black transled organization building safety and political power for Black and brown trans people in Atlanta, is raising money to build a permanent home for the organization. SnapCo. celebrated 13 years with the Forever Paradise Gala on Aug. 8 at Center Stage. The event included performances by the Atlanta CommUNITY Choir, Fatima Jamal, and SnapCo. Executive Director ToniMichelle Williams. Ollie Lopez was also
10 | SEPTEMBER 2026
Toni-Michelle Williams at the Snap Co. Forever Paradise Gala. (Photo by Ansley Kelly)
introduced as SnapCo.’s first-ever deputy director. During the gala, SnapCo. leadership celebrated the year’s accomplishments. Marley Metze received the Member of the Year Award for leading a weeklong passport clinic in 2025, during which over 200 trans and gendernonconforming people received assistance in applying for their passports for free. Other community leaders honored with awards at the Forever Paradise Gala included: Yolo Akili: Everything is Love Award
Jiyah Bolden: Sacred and Silly Award Nikki Balmain: Transforming Foundations Award Bishop Reverend Rahkel Henry: Icon Award SnapCo. announces Providential Paradise The event also served as a fundraiser for the organization’s newest endeavor, announced during the gala: Providential Paradise, the forthcoming permanent home for SnapCo. to be developed on 11.2 acres in South Fulton recently purchased by the organization.
The Forever Paradise Gala kicked off the public capital campaign to raise $5 million for the project. SnapCo. has already raised over $1.4 million. “Black trans communities have spent generations creating safety in spaces that were never built for us,” Williams said. “Providential Paradise is our declaration that we deserve more than borrowed space. We deserve permanence. Through this project, we honor the people whose courage, sacrifice, and vision have built this movement over the last 13 years, while creating something future generations can inherit. At a time when our communities continue to face political attacks across the country, choosing to build together is one of the most powerful acts of hope and resistance we can make.” The design for the project is being led by Designing Justice+ Designing Spaces, ENIBAS Consulting, and Moody Nolan, the largest Black-owned design firm in the country. The campus will include wellness and healing space, gathering and cultural spaces, education and workforce development hubs, and supportive housing. Donations to support the Providential Paradise can be made at snap4freedom.org.
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IMPORTANT FACTS FOR BIKTARVY® This is only a brief summary of important information about BIKTARVY® and does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your condition and your treatment.
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MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT BIKTARVY
POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF BIKTARVY
BIKTARVY may cause serious side effects, including: � Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV). Your healthcare provider will test you for HBV. If you have both HIV-1 and HBV, your HBV may suddenly get worse if you stop taking BIKTARVY. Do not stop taking BIKTARVY without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months, and may give you HBV medicine.
BIKTARVY may cause serious side effects, including: � Those in the “Most Important Information About BIKTARVY” section. � Changes in your immune system. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections that may have been hidden in your body. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new symptoms after you start taking BIKTARVY. � Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys. If you develop new or worse kidney problems, they may tell you to stop taking BIKTARVY. � Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat. � Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain. � The most common side effects of BIKTARVY in clinical studies were diarrhea (6%), nausea (6%), and headache (5%). These are not all the possible side effects of BIKTARVY. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking BIKTARVY. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088. Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with BIKTARVY.
ABOUT BIKTARVY BIKTARVY is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in adults and children who weigh at least 55 pounds. It can be used in people who have never taken HIV-1 medicines before, or people who have received HIV medicines in the past, or to replace their current HIV-1 medicines and whose healthcare provider determines they meet certain requirements. BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. HIV-1 is the virus that causes AIDS. Do NOT take BIKTARVY if you also take a medicine that contains: � dofetilide � rifampin � any other medicines to treat HIV-1
BEFORE TAKING BIKTARVY Tell your healthcare provider if you: � Have or have had any kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis. � Have any other health problems. � Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking BIKTARVY. � Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Talk to your healthcare provider about the risks of breastfeeding during treatment with BIKTARVY. Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take: � Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-thecounter medicines, antacids, laxatives, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist. � BIKTARVY and other medicines may affect each other. Ask your healthcare provider and pharmacist about medicines that interact with BIKTARVY, and ask if it is safe to take BIKTARVY with all your other medicines.
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GET MORE INFORMATION � This is only a brief summary of important information
about BIKTARVY. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more. � Go to BIKTARVY.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5. � If you need help paying for your medicine, visit BIKTARVY.com for program information.
BIKTARVY, the BIKTARVY Logo, BELIEVE IT. Be it., GILEAD, and the GILEAD Logo are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. © 2026 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. US-BVYC-1037 05/26
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Phil
Taking BIKTARVY® since 2018 still undetectable*
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9 clinical trials over 3600 participants BIKTARVY is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in certain adults. BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. Ask your healthcare provider if BIKTARVY is right for you
READY TO STAY ON TRACK WITH BIKTARVY? SCAN THE QR CODE OR VISIT BIKTARVY.COM *Undetectable means the amount of virus in your blood is so low it cannot be measured by a lab test.
Please see Important Facts about BIKTARVY, including important warnings, on the previous page and at BIKTARVY.com.
Free & Open to the Public!
DOWNTOWN DECATUR, GA FRI, OCT 2
Keynote, 7 PM
SAT, OCT 3
Festival, 10 AM – 5 PM decaturbookfestival.com
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Decatur Book Festival returns Oct. 2-3 • Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko, I Am a Good Dog: A Dogtown Book, as DBF’s “Kidnote.”
• Pedro Martín, Mexikid Dreams: A Graphic Memoir
• Tomi Adeyemi, The Siren
• Lynn Painter, Trust Fall
• Marcia Chatelain, How Bright The Path Grows: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the March on Washington • Ryan Douglass, Night of Madness • Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Live Laugh Love: The Secret History of White Christian Women and the World They Made
Philip B. Williams
The Decatur Book Festival (DBF) has unveiled the full lineup for its 21st annual festival, taking place Oct. 2–3 in downtown Decatur. Free and open to all, the festival takes place Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in various locations, including the new Decatur Square Stage. This year’s lineup includes authors working in literary fiction, picture books, romance and romantasy, nonfiction, science fiction, poetry, horror, memoir, chapter books and graphic novels for young readers, young adult, and many more. Pulitzer Winner Brian Goldstone (There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America) will open the festival on Friday evening at 7 p.m. for the keynote session, in conversation with Brea Baker. The session is free, although advanced registration is encouraged. The remaining sessions will run Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., including:
• Celeste Headlee, Freedom’s Daughter’s: How a Generation of Black Women Resisted Oppression Through Literacy and Education • Silas House, The Tulip Poplars • Meherwan Irani, No. 1 Best Indian Cookbook in the World: At-Home Recipes from the Streets, Truck Stops, Villages, and Palaces of India • Tareasa “Reesa Teesa” Johnson, What (TF) Do I Do Now?: Reclaiming Myself, One Piece at a Time •
Tayari Jones, Kin
• Patricia Lockwood, Agate Head / Stone Soup • Madeline Martin, A Time of Witches
• J.Tom Morgan, A Rainy Night in Georgia • Steven Raichlen, Man on Fire: Of Life, Love, Literature, and Really Good Barbecue • Chelsea Rathburn, Broken Houses: Poems • Roopika Risam, Data Empire: The Power of Information to Organize, Control, and Dominate • Eliot Schrefer, Fatal Glitch: Let’s Play a Game • Arthur Sze, Transient Worlds: On Translating Poetry • Aiden Thomas, Cemetery Boys: Espíritu • Colleen AF Venable and Honie Beam, Junie B. Jones and Some Sneaky Peeky Spying: The Graphic Novel • Nghi Vo, The Scarlet Ball • Michelle A. Williams, The Cure for Everything: The Epic Struggle for Public Health and a Radical Vision for Human Thriving On Saturday, downtown Decatur will transform into a lively street fair featuring more than 125 exhibitors: authors, poets,
Gennifer Choldenko
festival include an audiobook walk, a celebration of the Lillian Smith Book Awards, a meeting of the Silent Book Club, and more. The Emerging Student Writers at the Decatur Library will showcase readings by students from the following universities: • Agnes Scott College • Emory University • Georgia College and State University • Georgia State University • Mercer University • Morehouse College • SCAD Atlanta • Spelman College • University of Georgia The full author lineup is available at decaturbookfestival.com.
Tayari Jones
publishers, booksellers, artists, and local businesses and nonprofit organizations, alongside food trucks and Decatur buskers. Family-friendly programming for DBF’s youngest attendees (ages 0 – 5) includes storytimes and performances with Alliance Theatre, Atlanta History Center, and Music Together of Decatur. Other events happening during the
Nghi Vo
Katherine Applegate THEGAVOICE.COM
SEPTEMBER 2026
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A Q&A with DBF keynote speaker Brian Goldstone By Collin Kelley Brian Goldstone has spent much of his career examining the lives of people too often overlooked in America’s economic and political narratives. His Pulitzer Prize-winning “There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America” offers an intimate portrait of five Atlanta families struggling to survive despite holding down – sometimes multiple – jobs. In this Q&A, Goldstone discusses the hard-to-grasp idea of having a job, but not having a home, how the research and writing of his book changed his view of Atlanta, and what the solutions are to this everwidening crisis.
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7 am - 6 pm Monday - Friday 8 am - 5 pm Saturday Closed Sunday 16 | SEPTEMBER 2026
I drive by those extended-stay motels on Candler Road and down near the airport where people have been pushed to the margins. Most people don’t realize these places are functioning as for-profit homeless shelters. It’s like a balloon squeezed at one end: as one area of the city sees all this infusion of new capital, the people once there are forced to other parts of the city. If you could change one policy or assumption about housing in Atlanta, what would you change first?
We talk so much about the need for affordable housing, but affordable for whom? It just can’t be affordable; it has to be safe and dignified. You can find Brian Goldstone a less expensive apartment, Your book makes the but those places are also distinction between homelessness as dangerous and falling apart – afflicted we traditionally imagine it — people with mold, rodents, and neglect. The living on the street or in shelters — working homeless are making this city’s and the “working homeless,” people success possible through their work and who have jobs but still can’t afford a labor, but where are they going to live? We place to live. Why do you think that need a massive public investment in truly distinction has been so difficult for affordable and dignified housing. That Americans and lawmakers to grasp? will require a paradigm shift in how we I was stunned to find how prevalent think about housing. It’s got to be more this phenomenon is: people who are than a house; it’s got to be more than working more than one job, and it’s still accumulating wealth or part of a portfolio not enough to secure stable housing or a to grow. Not while people are deciding if roof over one’s head. We as a society have they can pay rent that month or afford to insulated ourselves from asking difficult eat, or their kid’s medication or their own questions about the economy, structures, insulin. the housing system, and what work looks Has anything happened in Atlanta like in this country. We’ve accepted this since you finished the book that has narrative of broken people instead of made you more hopeful — or more broken policies. By putting the onus on pessimistic — about the possibility of those who are suffering this deprivation, solving this crisis? we avoid having direct scrutiny. There’s a self-protective dynamic at work. It just At the federal level, we are far becomes easier and less messy to assign from ending the crisis. The current blame to the victims. administration is dumping gasoline on it by cutting safety nets like food stamps How did your familiarity with Atlanta and Medicaid and making life for people — and your understanding of the city’s with disabilities more precarious. On the neighborhoods, history and culture — other hand, talking about the book with shape the way you reported the book? churches, community groups, tenant And did reporting the book change the groups, and unions – it’s an incredible way you see Atlanta? reminder that what is happening in It irrevocably altered my perception of Washington, D.C. is not the final word the city. It ruined Atlanta for me in many on our housing future. Some people have ways. All these resources and amenities, become radicalized in a way, refusing the like green spaces, the Beltline, breweries, old ways and options that we’ve been eateries – it made it impossible to enjoy given around housing. They’re refusing the those without an awareness of the toll this status quo, demanding a different political revitalized Atlanta has taken on workingand moral imagination. That really does class families. In the course of Atlanta give me hope. It’s heartening to talk to becoming this transformed city, it’s pushed people who have taken their anger from many people out of neighborhoods and reading the book and seeing what these housing altogether. I’m thinking of people families were subjected to, and galvanizing who grew up or lived in Old Fourth Ward, them to demand a different kind of city Reynoldstown, Kirkwood, and are now and housing policy. unable to enjoy the fruits of the success. THEGAVOICE.COM
Oct. 2–3 | Downtown Decatur, GA
T H A N K YO U T O O U R 2 0 2 6 S P O N S O R S & PA R T N E R S !
Agnes Scott College
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Chicory Wealth
Delta Community Credit Union
The Task Force for Global Health
Georgia’s Own Credit Union
SouthState Bank
Woodward Academy
Fri, Oct 2: Keynote, 7 PM | Sat, Oct 3: Festival, 10 AM – 5 PM | decaturbookfestival.com
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Out on Film Festival begins Sept. 24 By Sammie Purcell More than 150 films, including a critically acclaimed film from the Cannes Film Festival and works by Alan Cumming, Rachel Dratch, and more, will play at this year’s Out on Film Festival. The LGBTQ+ film festival will run from Sept. 24 to Oct. 4. Gary Jaffe’s comedy “Before I Do” will open the festival, while the Spanish movie “La Bola Negra,” directed by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, will serve as the closing film. Other movies include “Give Me the Ball,” a documentary about tennis icon Billie Jean King; “Desert Hearts,” a romantic drama based on the novel of the same name; “The Divine Tragedy,” from director Sergio Tovar Velarde; and “Out of the Woods,” starring Francis Fisher. Out on Film will also screen the first episode of the upcoming STARZ drama “Tip Toe,” starring Alan Cumming and David Morrissey. “Coming off of a record-breaking 2025, we are extraordinarily proud to present our largest festival ever, one that shines a spotlight on cinema and voices around the world,” said Out on Film Festival Director Jim Farmer. “It’s also wonderful to be able to offer so many Atlanta-area films and filmmakers, including some exciting world premieres.” The theme for this year’s festival is “The World We’re Making,” meant to celebrate the world that LGBTQ+ filmmakers and audiences create through art, creativity, and shared experience. All festival screenings, Q&A sessions, and panels will take place at Landmark Midtown Art Cinema. This year’s lineup will also include seven films that were awarded grants from Out on Film’s Filmmaker Fund, including Charlene Fisk’s “Call and Response” and Hannah Alline’s “Scissors.” Out on Film plans to present its 2026 Rising Star Award to actor/singer/director Jelani Alladin, whose short film “Next Year” will have its world premiere at the festival. Aladdin is known for playing Kristoff in “Frozen” on Broadway and for his role as Marcus Gaines in the 2023 miniseries “Fellow Travelers.” See the full lineup and get tickets at outonfilm.org.
THEGAVOICE.COM
La Bola Negra
Before I Do
2026 Lineup Narrative Features • Before I Do • I Come Home • Washed Up • Test • Something You Should Know About Me • Dreamers • In Between • A Man Walks Down the Streets • Out of the Woods • The Divine Tragedy! • Ride or Die • On the Road • Ephemera • Maspalomas
• Madfabulous • Black Burns Fast • In a Whisper • The Red Mask • Ivan and Hadoum • Loves Company • No Rest for the Wicked • Gugu’s World • Skiff • Trial of Hein • La Bola Negra • Mermaid • Summer Lost • Sunshine Girls • Beautiful Evening, Beautiful Day
Give Me the Ball
Tip Toe
Documentary Features • Time Warp • Give Me the Ball! • Face to Face: Don Bacardy • Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders • Beyond the Fire: The Life of Japan’s First Pride Parade Pioneer • Love Patrick: Nothing is Impossible • A TASTE OF HEAVEN: The Ecstatic Song & Gospel of Maestro Raymond Anthony Myles • Uncle Roy • Hunky Jesus
• Mickey & Richard • Punkie • Barbara Forever • My Brother’s Killer • Free Beer Tomorrow • Far From Maine Special Events • Screening of the STARZ drama Tip Toe • Desert Hearts screening with director Donna Deitch • Rising Star Award to Jelani Alladin • Reel Resistance Fellowship showcase • Queer Film Summit • Short Films
SEPTEMBER 2026
| 19
CAR-FREE STREETS!
SUNDAY NOV 8, 12 - 6PM
Come experience Atlanta’s biggest block party on Howell Mill Road.
FOOD & DRINK PETTING ZOO LIVE MUSIC MAKER’S MARKET LOCAL BUSINESSES
WESTSIDESTRIDE.ORG | @WESTSIDESTRIDEATL
East Atlanta Village bar Mary’s is a queer nightlife staple
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In 1998, heading to East Atlanta Village (EAV) meant finding takeout lunch counter Hungry Rush-In located at 1287 Glenwood Ave. The queer-owned restaurant was only open for about a year before the owners pivoted and transformed the space into Mary’s, EAV’s first gay bar. Nearly 30 years later, Mary’s is still holding it down on Glenwood, as one of Atlanta’s most beloved LGBTQ+ nightlife spots. Today, Atlanta’s LGBTQ+ nightlife is spread across the city, with places like Lore on Edgewood Avenue, My Sister’s Room (MSR) in Midtown, and the Atlanta Eagle on the edge of Ansley Park. But three decades ago, Atlanta’s queer nightlife scene was centered in Midtown, making Mary’s an outlier on the city’s east side. Its location, however, allowed Mary’s to attract a mixed crowd of gay men, lesbians, queer people, and even some straight patrons with its easy-going, divebar atmosphere. “We were kind of on the outskirts
Photos courtesy of Mary’s.
OPEN HOUSE:
doing our own thing, getting to do whatever we want,” co-owner Ben Cheaves told Georgia Voice. “A lot of like-minded, alternative people really love coming to the bar. We keep things pretty easy here. We don’t take ourselves too seriously.” Cheaves and Bill Overall took over ownership of Mary’s in 2005. As longtime regulars and DJs at Mary’s, Cheaves and Overall had come to see the bar as more than just a place to hang out. “[Mary’s] was one of the first gay bars I went to and really felt at home,” Cheaves said. Cheaves and Overall launched now popular weekly events like “Mary-oke” karaoke on Wednesdays, drag on Thursdays, gay video night on Fridays, and DJs on Saturdays. Annual fall events like East Atlanta Strut, “Hall-O-Weenie” dance party and costume contest, and the lighting of the baby Jesus at Christmas time continue to pack the bar. Two years after assuming ownership of Mary’s in 2005, Out magazine named it one of the 50 best gay bars in the world. From 2010 to 2018, Creative Loafing consistently named Mary’s the best gay bar in Atlanta. And in 2019, Mary’s landed at number five on Atlanta magazine‘s best bars in the city. While Atlanta magazine did away with its rankings, Mary’s is still a constant on its “best bars” list. With increasing rents and development forcing bars like MSR, the Eagle, and Joystick to relocate, and other bars like the Basement and Backstreet to close altogether, Mary’s perseverance in EAV feels especially significant. When asked about the secret behind Mary’s success, Cheaves said he wasn’t sure. He just knows that, like him, people feel at home at the East Atlanta Village bar. “I hear a lot from customers who come in and say it’s their favorite place, that they instantly felt at home and welcomed [at Mary’s],” Cheaves said. “It’s a bit of a bar for misfits.”
Saturday, November 14
Mary’s, 1287 Glenwood Ave., East Atlanta Village. Open Monday-Saturday at 4 p.m. Follow on IG @marysatl for updates on weekly events.
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BECOMING GALLOWAY 22 | SEPTEMBER 2026
THIS IS AN ADULTS-ONLY EVENT (21+)
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