Georgia Voice - November 2025

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EDITOR’S NOTE

Don’t let solidarity and allieship end with Pride season

COLLIN KELLEY

In midOctober, I joined the Georgia Voice and Rough Draft staff for the Atlanta Pride celebration in Piedmont Park. I spent many hours at our booth and was fortunate to meet so many loyal readers and sign up a few new ones for our Crosswalk newsletter.

You might have spotted me waving and snapping my rainbow fan from the passenger seat of a silver convertible (thank you, Mercedes-Benz of Buckhead!). It was amazing to see the thousands of folks lining Peachtree Street in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community. We’ve got photos from the festival on pages 14-15.

Our community needs all the solidarity and allies it can get as the Trump administration continues to implement Project 2025 and threatens the civil and human rights of LGBTQ+ people.

The administration once again scapegoated the transgender community, stating it would not use emergency funds to pay out SNAP benefits during the government shutdown, blaming Democrats for holding out for “healthcare for illegal aliens and gender mutilation procedures.” It’s these kinds of baldfaced lies and misinformation that the

Atlanta

Editorial

Collin Kelley

Executive Editor

Beth McKibben

Editor-in-Chief

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Cathy Cobbs

Managing Editor, Reporter Newspapers

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Associate Editor

Staff Writers

Katie Burkholder, Bob Pepalis, Logan C. Ritchie, Sarra Sedghi, Stephanie Toone

Contributors

Jim Farmer, Rebecca Grapevine

administration uses to fearmonger and endanger the lives of trans people.

Republicans have continued to ignore non-partisan reports that millions will lose health insurance in 2026 if the Affordable Care Act tax credits are allowed to expire.

Meanwhile, the East Wing of the White House has been demolished to build a ballroom, allegedly funded by a disappointing, but not surprising, list of corporate donors and presidential “friends.”

Trump is also gleefully prosecuting his political enemies and granting clemency and pardons to allies convicted of everything from money laundering to identity theft, including George Santos, the gay Republican expelled from the U.S. House and sentenced to seven years in prison for fraud.

from Kim Davis, the former Kentucky county clerk who defied a federal court order to issue marriage licenses to samesex couples after the 2015 SCOTUS ruling on Obergefell v. Hodges. Currently on her fourth marriage, Davis claimed it was against her religious beliefs to marry the gays, but she must have some kind of

Not to mention the blitz of advertising to hire more ICE agents and shaking down his own Justice Department for $230 million in taxpayer dollars for “improper investigations” against him.

As I write this, the U.S. Supreme Court is planning to meet on Nov. 7 to discuss whether it will take up a challenge to marriage equality. The challenge comes

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And while all this plays out, the president trolls social media with AIgenerated slop depicting himself as a king, defecating on protesters, and threatening an unconstitutional third term. Don’t take your eyes off what is going on behind the crass childishness.

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Tell your healthcare provider if you:

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Survey shows ‘overwhelming support’ for Atlanta LGBTQ+ community center

By Kaie Burkholder

After nearly seven months of collecting responses, the LGBTQ+ Community Center Feasibility Study’s Community Input Survey closed on Oct. 17.

According to preliminary data shared with Georgia Voice by Malik Brown, the project director of the LGBTQ+ Community Center Feasibility Study, the survey garnered 2,802 responses. Brown said the data has yet to be fully reviewed by the team and pro-bono consultants, so the following findings are not definitive.

“What we can say for now is that the early responses show overwhelming support for an LGBTQ+ community center — a lifesaving space that can serve as an access point for our most vulnerable, a welcoming entry point for young people and newcomers, and a space for convening, creativity, and cultural connection for all residents,” he said.

Ninety-seven percent of respondents found having an LGBTQ+ community center in Atlanta to be important, and the top five most requested services were mental health and counseling services

(1,731 of 2,802), LGBTQ+ youth programs (1,500 of 2,802), an LGBTQ+ history and cultural museum (1,324 of 2,802), LGBTQ+ elder programs and activities (1,092 of 2,802) and an event and performance space (991 of 2,802).

Of the challenges respondents face in accessing LGBTQ+ spaces and services, the most reported were lack of public LGBTQ+ spaces (62 percent), lack of social or networking opportunities (43.4 percent), lack of intergenerational spaces (39.1 percent), financial barriers (36.2 percent), and safety concerns (35.3 percent).

Most respondents lived in Midtown, East Atlanta, and Lindbergh, and white

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and Native American respondents were overrepresented compared to 2023 Census data for Atlanta, while Black and Asian respondents were underrepresented. Age groups were generally evenly represented except for LGBTQ+ youth under 18, of which only 0.26 percent of respondents were represented.

Notes shared by Brown clarify that the feasibility team prioritized conversations with service providers who work with young people and parents instead of directly connecting with minors.

Brown told Georgia Voice that the next step for the feasibility study will be to analyze the data to present to the City of Atlanta in December.

“Now that data collection is finished, we’re shifting from community engagement to analysis,” Brown said. ‘We’ll synthesize survey input, round table discussions and one-on-one meetings into community-informed recommendations, which we plan to present to Mayor Dickens and the Atlanta City Council in December. Our hope is that this process results in seed funding — support we can then leverage with philanthropy and the wider community for what we see as a once-in-a-generation opportunity.”

To keep up with the LGBTQ+ Community Center Feasibility Study, visit atlgbtqcenter.com.

News Roundup

SCOTUS to consider marriage equality challenge

Human Services “exceeded its authority by implementing regulations redefining sex discrimination and prohibiting gender identity discrimination,” Guirola wrote.

The U.S. Supreme Court will consider whether to hear a challenge to marriage equality during a private meeting on Nov. 7, according to a report from The Advocate.

The challenge comes from Kim Davis, the former Kentucky county clerk who defied a federal court order to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples after the 2015 SCOTUS ruling on Obergefell v Hodges.

Davis was fined $100,000 and briefly jailed after refusing to issue licenses to a gay couple, stating it was against her religious beliefs. She has asked the court not only to reverse the judgment against her, but to overturn marriage equality.

Visit thegavoice.com for updates.

Georgia Voice

Judge strikes down trans health care protection

A federal judge has ruled that federal anti-discrimination protections for transgender people in health care are unconstitutional, allowing legal discrimination in health care against trans individuals in the U.S.

Judge Louis Guirola, Jr., of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, sided with a coalition of 15 GOP-led states that sued over the rule, which broadened sex discrimination to include sexual orientation and gender identity in health care, the Hill reported.

The U.S. Department of Health and

The expanded definition of sex discrimination to include sexual orientation and gender identity was part of Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act. The Biden-Harris administration implemented it to strengthen protections against health care discrimination for LGBTQ people. It previously prevented discrimination in health care services, insurance coverage, and program participation.

Washington Blade

Young Republicans bigoted texts made public

The Young Republican National Federation (YRNF) — an organization dedicated to politically organizing young conservatives and helping them win elected office across the United States — is under fire after thousands of homophobic, sexist, racist, anti-Semitic, and violent Telegram messages from statelevel group chats were leaked.

Politico reviewed nearly 2,900 pages of messages exchanged between January and August 2025 by members of state chapters of the YRNF, the youth wing of the Republican Party. Many of those involved in the chats currently hold or have held positions in state governments across New York, Kansas, Arizona, and Vermont.

Participants in the chats used racist, ableist, and homophobic slurs 251 times, according to Politico’s analysis.

Washington Blade

CDC reversal restores funding for Atlanta-based HIV home testing

By Rebecca Grapevine | Healthbeat Atlanta

Funding for an Atlanta-based program that has provided nearly 1 million free HIV home testing kits nationwide has been restored, allowing it to continue for another year.

Together Take Me Home, based at Emory University, delivers the tests through an easy-to-use website and integration with dating apps. The program is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and earlier this year received notice that its funding would not be renewed amid cuts to the CDC.

That decision has been reversed, said Dr. Travis Sanchez, the project’s executive director and a professor at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. The project will get $10 million for its fourth year, which runs through October 2026 – $2 million more than the prior year. The grant was for around $55 million over five years, starting in 2022.

Together Take Me Home is funded through Ending the HIV Epidemic, an initiative launched by President Donald Trump during his first term, with a goal of cutting new infections 90% by 2030. The initiative has steered resources to the areas with the highest rates of HIV, including DeKalb, Cobb, Gwinnett, and Fulton counties in Georgia, which has the highest

rate of new cases among states.

Nationwide, there has been a 12% reduction in new infections from 2018 to 2022, according to the CDC, and the number of new diagnoses each year has also decreased in Georgia, from 2,491 in 2018 to 2,350 in 2023.

The April letter canceling the funding for the home testing program said the CDC would no longer have the staff to oversee it. About 150 staffers who work on HIV prevention were laid off that month as the Trump administration moved to restructure the nation’s federal health agencies. Since then, many have been recalled to work.

Together Take Me Home is the biggest

self-testing program ever, Sanchez said, resulting in about 7,000 people learning that they have HIV. He estimates the tests have saved about $200 million in health care costs by connecting people to care early and preventing additional infections.

The kits use a simple online interface (offered in English and Spanish) and can also be ordered directly from apps like Grindr. Oral swabs provide results within 20 minutes and provide guidance about next steps if the result is positive.

The free, discreetly packaged tests help surmount financial and transportation barriers, as well as stigma. Similar home test kits cost about $40 or more at commercial pharmacies.

The program has been effective in rural areas, and more than half of those who have ordered the tests are under age 35, Sanchez said.

Home testing “is more confidential than walking into a local health department or even a local organization where you may be stigmatized,” said Daniel Driffin, a project manager at the HIV Vaccine Trials Network.

That many of the people who used the home service were first-time testers “creates a new opportunity to start testing habits that one can maintain over longer periods,” he said.

The CDC recommends that all Americans be tested for HIV at least once in their lifetime, but only about 40% of adults have been tested, according to 2024 data from KFF, a nonprofit health policy organization.

Each Together Take Me Home kit comes with two tests, so people can test themselves more than once or share.

Other participating partners in the project include the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors and Building Healthy Online Communities, which helped build relationships with dating apps.

Sanchez said the project’s leaders thought it would end this fall, when funding was due to run out. But renewal came in the nick of time, and services were never disrupted. He wasn’t sure why it was restored.

The program is tied to a pre-existing campaign from the CDC called “Let’s Stop HIV Together” – hence the Together Take Me Home moniker.

Sanchez said he’s glad the program’s funding has been restored, but he’s still worried about support beyond the next year, as well as funding for HIV prevention in general. President Donald Trump’s proposed budget includes deep cuts to the CDC and a plan to move HIV prevention work to a new agency, the Administration for a Healthy America.

“We’re paying very close attention to that,” Sanchez said.

For more information, visit together.takemehome.org.

National Center for Civil and Human Rights to reopen Nov. 8

By Katie Burkholder

The National Center for Civil and Human Rights (NCCHR) will reopen to the public on Nov. 8, following a $57.9 million renovation that expands the museum with new galleries, classrooms, and community spaces designed to connect history to today’s civil rights and human rights advocacy.

“With these new galleries and spaces, we can offer not just stories of the past, but pathways for people to reflect, engage, and shape the future,” Jill Savitt, the president and CEO of the NCCHR, said in a statement.

The reopening introduces six new galleries, as well as updates to the Center’s exhibit on the U.S. Civil Rights Movement, which will include additional lunch counter seats, new material on Black Power, and a reflection area. Other new and updated galleries include a reimagined Martin Luther King, Jr. gallery with rotating artifacts curated by guest curators, beginning with Dr. Bernice King; a new exhibit highlighting global stories of

human rights defenders and including an immersive storytelling experience; and a hands-on space where visitors can design personal civil engagement plans.

Forthcoming exhibits include a children’s gallery, opening in April 2026, featuring interactive activities to build civil skills and curiosity about justice, and a gallery exploring Reconstruction through art, opening in December 2025.

A Special Exhibitions Gallery will also open for temporary and traveling exhibits, starting with “Reclaiming History: Selections from the Arnett Family Collection.”

The expansion also includes 5,000 more square feet of event space, two new wings named after contributing philanthropists Shirley Clarke Franklin and Arthur M. Blank, and a new rooftop terrace.

The National Center for Civil and Human Rights celebrates its reopening on Nov. 8 with a live DJ, face painting, balloons, and more.

Tickets and memberships to the Center are available at civilandhumanrights.org.

• Free STD Screening & Treatment

• HIV Testing & Linkage to HIV care

• PrEP Services

Kennesaw Pride Alliance to form nonprofit following DEI cuts

By Katie Burkholder

Following the closure of Kennesaw State University’s LGBTQ+ Resource Center, the student organization Kennesaw Pride Alliance is forming a nonprofit to maintain its support of LGBTQ+ students and expand its reach to other universities in Georgia.

For over a decade, the LGBTQ+ Resource Center offered an inclusive space to socialize, engage in weekly and monthly programming, and “shop” for free from the Clothing Closet, a more comfortable and accessible space for transgender, non-binary,

and gender non-conforming students to find clothes that suit them. In spring, however, the university internally announced the center would be rebranded as part of a new Department of Student Engagement and Support and no longer specifically serve LGBTQ+ students.

The dismantling followed a letter issued in February detailing the Trump Department of Education’s new civil rights guidance targeting DEI practices, along with the introduction of legislation like SB120, a bill that would’ve banned diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives from K-12 schools and colleges had it not died after

crossover day.

In the wake of these attacks, colleges across Georgia have rolled back LGBTQ+inclusive resources; Georgia Tech dissolved its LGBTQ+ Resource Center, Women’s Resource Center, and Black Culture, Innovation, and Technology team and coalesced them into the Arts, Belonging, and Community Department. Emory University announced in September it would be discontinuing DEI programs and offices.

Amy West, Communications Director of the Kennesaw Pride Alliance, said that students were frustrated and hurt by the closure, so the KPA stepped up to create its

Thousands take part in No Kings protest

By Georgia Voice Staff

No Kings protests against the actions of the Trump administration took place around Metro Atlanta on Saturday, Oct. 18. Nationwide, organizers estimate seven million took part in nearly 3,000 rallies.

An estimated 10,000 gathered at the Atlanta Civic Center parking lot in Old Fourth Ward to hear from speakers, including Sen. Raphael Warnock and voting rights activist Stacey Abrams, before a march from the Civic Center to Liberty Plaza outside the State Capitol building. The rally and march both ended peacefully, according to organizers.

Additional protests took place across the state, including Savannah, Statesboro, Macon, Gainesville, and many more.

The protest came as the nation is mired in a federal government shutdown, the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and deployment of the National Guard in U.S. cities, turmoil at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the administration’s efforts to roll back hard-won LGBTQ+ civil and human rights, including removing transgender troops from the military.

own space for LGBTQ+ students to gather.

“Several other universities in Georgia are still operating similar programs or rebranded them, whereas KSU just completely gutted theirs,” West told Georgia Voice. “So that ended up with myself and… several other members of the community to end up bringing KPA out of dormancy.”

Partnering with local First United Lutheran Church, KPA opened its own Pride Center Aug. 22, a space located in the church for students to engage with community support groups, movie nights, game nights, a queer library, a community closet, and mental health counseling – all built entirely by students without support from the university.

“I know right now a lot of our students are facing sustained pressure at home and on campus, be it from certain right-wing groups or from increasingly emboldened conservatives who are trying to silence them and keep them in the closet,” West said. “That’s why having access to these supports to enable them to exist as themselves in public is so key. Considering the fact that support was almost entirely gutted last spring, a lot of them have been left feeling hopeless, like they need to hide themselves to not be harassed or targeted.”

Along with the creation of the new Pride Center and community engagement, members of KPA are also advocating for students, in particular those living in the now-disbanded Stonewall Housing. The housing program, which provided safe housing to LGBTQ+ students who came from hostile homes, feared harassment in the dorms, or were homeless or on the verge of homelessness, was discontinued along with the resource center. One student on the KSU subreddit wrote that the KSU housing website had been wiped of any mention of the program, and that Stonewall residents had not been told the program had been disbanded.

West says KPA has and will continue to advocate for the reinstatement of the program. In the meantime, the KSU senior and her colleagues in the organization are working to maintain the organization to help provide and advocate for LGBTQ+ students even after the current leadership graduates. The student organization is currently filing for 501(c)(3) status to create Georgia Pride Alliance, a parent organization for the group that would formalize the structure of KPA and potentially expand its reach to students at other schools. West says she hopes for the nonprofit to be formed by spring or summer 2026.

Until then, students with KPA are seeking volunteers to help run events at the Pride Center, donations of books and clothes to their library and closet, and connections with other organizations to get students access to other resources KPA doesn’t have the capacity to provide. To learn more and get involved, follow Kennesaw Pride Alliance on Instagram @kpridealliance.

Atlanta’s Favorite Real Estate Team

Scenes from Atlanta Pride 2025

The 55th annual Atlanta Pride celebration of the city’s LGBTQ+ community was held in Piedmont Park on Oct. 11-12 and was highlighted by Sunday’s Pride Parade along Peachtree Street. We’ve rounded up a collection of photos from the weekend, provided by the Georgia Voice/Rough Draft staff as well as the Atlanta Pride Committee. Visit Georgia Voice on Instagram at @thegeorgiavoice to see even more.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Holiday Happenings

Lights, music, and performances kick off

the festive season

By Collin Kelley

The holiday season will be in full swing starting this month with concerts, plays, opera, visits with Santa, illuminated landscapes and aerial theatrics under the big top.

Cirque du Soleil: Luzia

The big striped tent will return to Atlantic Sation Nov. 6 to Dec. 14 as Cirque du Soleil presents “Luzia.” This aerial acrobatic performance chronicles the encounters of a traveler who parachutes into a dreamlike version of Mexico and meets a mystifying menagerie of characters along the way. The Jan. 18 performance will be a fundraiser for Atlanta Pride. Get tickets at cirquedusoleil. com.

Garden Lights, Holiday Nights

The Atlanta Botanical Garden is hosting the 15th annual “Garden Lights, Holiday Nights” Nov. 15 to Jan. 11. The grounds will be illuminated with thousands of lights, while the tree sculptures from this summer’s “Enchanted Trees by Poetic Kinetics” will be incorporated into the show. Tickets usually sell out fast, so get yours at atlantabg.org.

Light Up the Season at Piedmont Park

The Piedmont Park Conservancy will host this special event on Sunday, Nov. 23, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in The Meadow as the park's Great Tree, Menorah, and Kinara are illuminated. The event also encourages guests to donate food, books, and pajamas to support local families in need. Get more information at piedmontpark.org.

Center for Puppetry Arts

“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” soars back into the Midtown venue from Nov. 12 to Dec. 28 with a puppet version of the classic stop-motion animation TV special from 1964. Tickets, which also include a

create-a-puppet workshop, can be purchased at puppet.org.

Atlanta Shakespeare Company

If you’ve been grooving to Taylor Swift’s hit single, “The Fate of Ophelia,” Atlanta Shakespeare Company is offering an opportunity to see where the literary reference originated – The Bard’s “Hamlet” – Nov. 8-30 at Shakespeare Tavern. Tickets available at shakespearetavern.com.

Fox Theatre

The Fox Theatre is hosting its second annual Foxgiving Feast on Nov. 20 – a chef-curated, Thanksgiving-inspired menu and complimentary wine and sherry tastings from Olé & Obrigado. And if “Luzia” isn’t enough Cirque du Soleil for you, the onenight only “Magical Cirque Christmas” hits the Fox stage on Nov. 23. Tickets for both events are available at foxtheatre.org.

Atlanta Opera

The company is hosting a one-night screening of Jean Cocteau’s “La Belle et La Bete” with the soundtrack replaced by an opera score created by Philip Glass on Nov. 15 and will stage Verdi’s classic “La Traviata” Nov. 8-16 – both at the Cobb Energy Centre. Tickets at atlantaopera.org.

“A Christmas Carol” at Alliance Theater

The classic stage production of Charles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol” runs Nov. 14 to Dec. 24 on the Coca-Cola Stage. Tickets start at $31 at alliancetheatre.org.

ILLUMINIGHTS at Zoo Atlanta

Hundreds of wildlife-inspired lanterns will decorate Zoo Atlanta for its annual holiday light display Nov. 21 to Jan. 16. Tickets do sell out, so reserve in advance at zooatlanta.org.

Fernbank Museum

WildWoods: AGLOW returns Nov. 14 to

Feb. 28 with a nighttime, multi-sensory immersion in the forest around the museum with interactive tulip poplar pod, projections of nocturnal wildlife, glowing native plant species, larger-than-life incandescent mushrooms and more. Tickets available at fernbankmuseum.org.

Jessica Vosk

Broadway star Jessica Vosk performs her holiday-themed show “Sleigh” at the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center on Nov. 22 at 8 p.m. Get tickets at sandyspringspac.com.

Dave Koz & Friends

Koz and Co. are on their annual Christmas tour, which drops in at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center on Friday, Nov. 28, at 8 p.m. Get tickets at cobbenergycentre. com.

Atlanta Christkindl Market

Experience a hybrid modern-day Christmas celebration and German festivities as the annual market moves to the Lawrenceville Lawn from Nov. 28 to Dec. 24. There

are handcrafted goods, entertainment, food and more. Admission is free, and more information can be found at christkindlmarket.org.

Callanwolde Fine Arts Center’s Winter House

From Nov. 29 to Dec. 14, Callanwolde will feature an artist market, live music, historic tours, photos with Santa, and more holiday activities. A dozen holiday art workshops will be offered, including ornament and wreath making. Get more details at callanwolde.org/ winterhouse.

Christmas with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

The ASO is kicking off the holidays with a live stage version of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” on Nov. 23 and singer Cody Fry gives a holiday concert on Nov. 25. Even more is planned in December with the “Deck the Halls” family concert (Dec. 7), Christmas with Trisha Yearwood (Dec. 10), and Christmas with the ASO (Dec. 11-14). Get tickets and information at aso.org.

High Museum adds LGBTQ+ photographs to collection

By Katie Burkholder

The High Museum of Art has announced its new LGBTQIA+ Photography Centennial Acquisition Initiative.

When Maria L. Kelly, the Assistant Curator of Photography at the High, considered the museum’s collection of over 9,000 photographs, she realized that in the museum’s nearly 60 years of building a photography collection, LGBTQ+ artists had been underrepresented.

“While I was going through all of our works and looking at themes and thinking about what exhibitions could happen and where we should be going with acquisitions, I realized that we had inadvertently, over the decades of

collecting photography, missed out on representing queer voices in the photo collection,” Kelly told Georgia Voice.

Nearly a year-and-a-half later, the High has publicly announced the four LGBTQ+ photographers whose works

have been acquired through the initiative: Peter Hujar, known for his portraits capturing ‘70s and ‘80s New York; Catherine Opie, who first came to prominence in the ‘90s for her series of studio portraits depicting gay, lesbian, and trans people in her social circles; Naima Greene, an up-and-coming photographer capturing her own queer community of color; and Martine Gutierrez, a contemporary photographer celebrated her for selfportraits that question gender roles, mainstream beauty standards, and identity.

Kelly hopes the initiative broadens the history of photography that the High is capturing in its collection and encourages connection and learning among visitors.

“I always think it’s really important for people to be able to see themselves in a work, to come in and be like, ‘Oh,

JESSICA VOSK Sleigh

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Jessica Vosk brings holiday magic with a sensational concert full of sparkle, sass, and show-stopping vocals! Featuring hits from her album SLEIGH, plus classics and surprises from Ariana Grande, Mariah Carey, Rodgers and Hammerstein, and more, Jessica delivers a night of festivity like no other.

I recognize the subject matter, or I recognize the story that’s being told here,’” she said. “…But then I also want it to be the case for the people who maybe don’t identify in any kind of way to [say], ‘Here’s a story I didn’t know about, here’s a worldview I didn’t know about, here’s a history I had no idea about.’”

While Kelly says there are no plans for all these works to be exhibited together, Green’s “It Lingers Sweet” is currently on display in “Photography’s New Vision: Experiments in Seeing,” and there will be a new works exhibit next summer, which will feature some of the initiative’s other acquisitions.

Moving forward, Kelly says she has a “long wish list” of other LGBTQ+ photographers to include in the collection and is working to raise funds to continue expanding the scope of the identities and experiences represented at the High.

To learn more and explore the High Museum’s photography collection, visit high.org/collection-area/photography.

Sherald’s ‘American Sublime’ exhibition coming to Atlanta

By Collin Kelley

After pulling her exhibition from the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery over the Trump administration’s antitransgender censorship, Amy Sherald’s “American Sublime” will be on view at the High Museum of Art next year.

The Atlanta museum announced in a press release that the touring retrospective of the Georgia artist’s career will be on exhibition from May 15 to Sept. 27, 2026

“The High Museum of Art is proud to join the national tour for ‘Amy Sherald: American Sublime,’ the acclaimed midcareer retrospective for the Georgia native and the largest exhibition of her work to date,” the High said in the release.

Featuring a broad range of paintings made from 2007 to 2024, the presentation will include many of Sherald’s most iconic works, along with rarely seen paintings spanning her career.

Born in Columbus, GA, Sherald has deep ties to Atlanta and to the High, according to the release. She trained as a painter in the city and graduated from Clark Atlanta University. In 2018, the High awarded her its annual David C. Driskell Prize in African American Art and Art History, the first national award to recognize the importance of African American art.

The museum also presented “The Obama Portraits Tour,” featuring her renowned portrait of former First Lady Michelle Obama, in 2022.

According to Capital B. Atlanta,

“American Sublime” would have been the first Black contemporary artist to be featured at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C., but Sherald pulled the exhibition after hearing “internal concerns” about her painting “Trans Forming Liberty,” a portrait of the Statue of Liberty depicted as a trans woman.

The High is the fourth venue for this exhibition, which is organized by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), where it debuted in 2024, and which previously traveled to the Whitney Museum of American Art. The exhibition will be on view at the Baltimore Museum of Art (Nov. 2, 2025-April 5, 2026) before it comes to Atlanta.

Out on Film hits record year for revenue and attendance

By Sammie Purcell

Out on Film, Atlanta’s LGBTQ+ film festival, ran from Sept. 25 to Oct. 5 this year and broke records in the process.

“This was by far our best year in terms of revenue and in terms of attendance,” Out on Film Festival Director Jim Farmer said. “We set records roughly about two-thirds of the way into the festival. We had soldout shows every day of the 11 days. It was tremendous.”

Farmer attributes some of the festival’s success this year to the programming Out on Film has been doing throughout the year, including its Spring Mini-Fest. Farmer said that more than 17,500 people attended the festival this year, both in-person and virtual.

This year’s festival theme was “Queer Propaganda,” a response to the stance that federal and state governments across the country have taken toward the LGBTQ+ community over the past few years.

“This is certainly a very trying time for our community. It’s a time when people are trying to erase us, pretend we don’t exist, take away our rights,” Farmer said. “Part of the theme ‘Queer Propaganda’ is just saying, ‘We’re still here.”

For Farmer, the opening night film “I Was Born This Way,” a documentary from Daniel Junge and Sam Pollard about the disco artist Carl Bean, fully embodied the festival’s theme.

“It was a perfect opening night film to

say, ‘We are who we are. We’re a community. We’re together. And we’re not going anywhere,” Farmer said.

The audience agreed. “I Was Born This Way” won the Audience Best Documentary Award. Other films recognized by the audience included Ali Rosenthal’s “Teen Mary” for Best Narrative Short, Brad Burleson’s “Tippi and Barb” for Best Documentary Short, and Carmen Emmi’s “Plainclothes” for Best Narrative Feature.

In addition to the Audience Awards, Out on Film also features Jury Award selections.

Best Drama Short went to Natalie Musteata and Alexandre Singh’s “Two People Exchanging Saliva” and Best Documentary Short went to Ava Grimshaw-Hall’s “While We Still Have Time.” Kim A. Snyder’s “The Librarians” took home Best Documentary, while Best Narrative Feature resulted in a tie between Ivona Juka’s “Beautiful Evening, Beautiful Day,” and Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese’s “Lesbian Space Princess.” Juka, Hobbs, and Varghese also shared the award for Best Director.

“Beautiful Evening, Beautiful Day” also won the Best Ensemble Award while Asia Kate Dillon took home the Best Performance Award for their role in “Outerlands.” Carmen Emmi won the Best Screenplay Award for his film “Plainclothes.”

Farmer said while he’s always believed in the strength of Out on Film’s programming, it was nice to see the audience numbers match up.

“For a while now, we’ve had the reputation that our programming is as strong as any LGBTQ+ fest in the country,” Farmer said. “And now we’re at the point where we have the crowds too.”

In addition to international and national films, Out on Film also featured filmmakers from right here in Georgia. According to Farmer, 16 short films from local filmmakers played the festival.

Farmer said in the years to come, he hopes to keep growing Out on Film both as a festival and outside of the festival experience. This year in conjunction with the festival, Out on Film held a Queer Film Summit from Sept. 29 – Oct. 3. Last year, it launched the Queer Film Alliance as a way to help queer filmmakers in Atlanta network and collaborate with each other. Out on Film also launched a filmmaker fund last year to help queer filmmakers complete their projects.

“[We’re] trying to grow, and not just showcase films but also work with filmmakers and develop ways to help them with their projects and help them grow,” Farmer said.

Max Parker talks stepping into military shoes on ‘Boots’

By Jim Farmer

Out actor Max Parker began his audition process for the new Netflix series “Boots” over Zoom – and didn’t meet anyone in person until the eighth round. At first, the scripts he received were light on detail. But the more scripts came his way, the more he was convinced that Sergeant Robert “Bobby” Sullivan was a character he really needed to play.

“I thought it would be an amazing opportunity to dive into that as well as play a queer character, something I have wanted to do,” he said in a recent interview with Georgia Voice.

Based on the memoir “The Pink Marine” by Greg Cope White, “Boots” is the story of teenager Cameron Cope (Miles Heizer), who leaves home and his single mother Barbara (Vera Farmiga) behind and decides to join the American military with his straight best friend Ray (Liam Oh) in the ‘90s. He quickly realizes it’s not the best place to be, especially as a gay man in the pre“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” era of the armed forces. Sullivan is a drill sergeant Cameron encounters who proves to be a man with secrets of his own.

Andy Parker adapted the book and is showrunner of the series as well as executive producer alongside a team including the late Norman Lear. Filming of the first season began in the summer of 2023 in New Orleans – after over two weeks of boot camp and rehearsals – but stopped one

week later because of the 2023 writers strike (and later actors strike) before resuming in the spring of 2024 and wrapping late last summer.

The bond between the actors was so strong, Max Parker said, that the actors picked up almost immediately from where they had stopped once filming resumed.

Physically and emotionally, Parker knew he had to be prepared to fill Sullivan’s shoes. He stepped up his fitness to keep pace and credits an “amazing trainer back home” in England for getting him ready for the physicality role and the hot, humid New Orleans weather. The cast also had a team available on hand to make sure they were telling the story correctly.

“One of our military drill instructors was gay when it was illegal to be [in the military]

and did get kicked out of the military,” the actor said. “To listen to his story and see how similar it was to Sullivan was an amazing tool as well.”

As someone who is gay and went through his own period of hiding, Parker – best known for his work on Peacock’s “Vampire Academy” – could relate to Sullivan. The major difference is that Sullivan lives in a time period where being gay in the services is illegal.

“The thing that means the most to him is serving in the military and he has a lot stripped away from him,” Parker said. “He has no one to turn to; his best friend is homophobic. He is being chased by the law. You see the spiral he goes through, the pressure cooker it is [for him] and the damaging stuff it can do.”

While the series manages to combine comedy and drama, themes of toxic masculinity and proving oneself are prominent throughout the series, especially as Cameron tries to fit in. The relationship between him and Sullivan is quite complicated and ultimately changes direction.

“Sullivan ultimately doesn’t want Cameron to go through what he has had to,” Parker said. “He thinks the best thing he can do is to get [Cameron] to quit, but there’s a moment when he sees his resilience. They both help each other in a way. [Cameron] starts to look at [Sullivan] as a role model.”

Being part of a crew with a large amount of LGBTQ+ talent behind and in front of the camera – including Heizer and actor Angus O’Brien as Hicks – is an element of the production Parker is most proud of. The significance of what they were all doing never left the set. After he and Heizer finished a pivotal scene, many of the creatives got emotional.

“You realize [in times such as these] how important it is to tell queer stories for all of us, but especially for people [who grew up] in this era of the ‘90s,” Parker said.

‘Fairyland’

screening to include talk-back with activists

By Collin Kelley

The Tara Theatre will host a special screening of Andrew Durham’s awardwinning film “Fairyland” on Dec. 6 at 3 p.m.

The event is being coordinated by Touching Up Our Roots: Georgia’s LGBTQ+ Story Project. There will be a post-show talkback with activist veterans about the origins of the LGBTQ+ civil and human rights movement from the 1960s to today.

Wes Nimmo from New South Associates, which authored Atlanta’s LGBTQ Context Statement, and Dave Hayward from Touching Up Our Roots, will moderate the conversation.

The film tells the true story of the late Steve Abbott, a former Atlanta resident who lost his wife in a car accident in 1973 and moved with his daughter to San Francisco so he could live as an openly gay man.

The film – based on the memoir by Abbott’s daughter, Alysia – chronicles Abbott’s life as a poet, novelist, and the AIDS crisis that would engulf San Francisco in the 90s. Abbott died from complications of the disease in 1992.

“Fairyland” was produced by Oscarwinning director Sofia Coppola and stars Scoot McNairy as Abbott and Emilia Jones as Alysia, with co-stars Academy Award winner Geena Davis and singer/actor Adam Lambert.

Turkey & Trimmings To-Go

By Beth McKibben

If standing over a hot stove isn’t your idea of celebrating Thanksgiving, then consider dining out or ordering turkey and the trimmings to-go.

Take Out

Castellucci Hospitality Group

The Castellucci Hospitality Group will once again offer its “One Click” Thanksgiving meal package. For $350, receive a whole, uncooked turkey, several sides, gravy, Parker House rolls, and dessert. People can also order sides, turkey, and a Basque pumpkin pie cheesecake separately. Pick up orders at Double Zero, The Iberian Pig Buckhead, or Sugo. Information: chgrestaurants.com.

Frazie's Meat & Market and Southern Belle

Frazie's Meat & Market (fraziesmeatandmarket.com) in Riverside will team up with Chef Joey Ward’s Southern Belle this year for an Eastside-meetsWestside Thanksgiving collaboration. Expect smoked turkey from Frazie’s paired with holiday sides from Southern Belle. People can pick up their Thanksgiving meal at either Frazie’s in Riverside or at Southern Belle (southernbelleatl.com) in Poncey-Highland. Email michelle@southernbelleatl.com to order.

Kinship Butcher & Sundry

The Virginia-Highland butcher shop and market will sell uncooked turkeys, ham, brisket, rib roasts, and tenderloins for Thanksgiving. Order online kinshipbutcheratl.com/store to pick up Nov. 21-22 or Nov. 26.

Pine Street Market

Avondale Estates butcher shop Pine Street Market will sell herb-roasted turkey breasts, holiday hams, prime rib, and other meaty entrees for Thanksgiving. Pre-orders go live online Nov. 1 at pinestreetmarket.com.

Star Provisions

Star Provisions will offer a trio of turkey options, including whole birds for roasting. The Blandtown restaurant and market will also offer a selection of holiday side dishes, along with pies. Order online at starpro. squarespace.com to pick up by Nov. 26.

Sweet Auburn Barbecue

The Poncey-Highland barbecue restaurant will offer smoked turkeys and sides like Jamaican collards, smoked bacon lima beans, and wok-fried green beans for Thanksgiving. Order online at sweetauburnbbq.com to pick up on Nov. 26.

Tio Lucho's

The Peruvian restaurant in Poncey-Highland

will offer smoked, spatchcocked turkeys, along with tamales, collard greens, yeast rolls with chicha butter, aji verde, and arroz árabe (jasmine rice with bacon, vegetables, and fried vermicelli noodles). Expect bread pudding for dessert. The $250 Thanksgiving feast feeds eight people. Order online at tioluchos.square.site to pick up on Nov. 26.

TWO Urban Licks

TWO Urban Licks will offer whole Thanksgiving feasts for two to six people to include turkey, sides, wine, pie, and other add-ons, starting at $180. Place orders by calling 404-522-4622 or emailing twoholidays@ctrxhs.com to pick up on Nov. 26 at the Eastside Beltline restaurant.

Thanksgiving Day Dining

AltaToro

The Thanksgiving buffet returns to AltaToro in Midtown on Nov. 27. From 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., expect a mix of traditional holiday entrees and sides as well as Latin American dishes for $65 per adult or $20 per child. Reservations required at altatoro.com.

Davio’s

Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse

in Buckhead will serve a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, along with holiday desserts, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., on Nov. 27. Adults are $85, while meals for children are $35. The restaurant will also serve a “Tomorrow’s Turkey Sandwich” for $19. Reservations are highly encouraged at davios. com. The regular dinner menu will be available.

Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta

Brasserie Margot and Bar Margot in Midtown will host a Thanksgiving brunch on Nov. 27, starting at 11 a.m. The meal features carving and risotto stations, seafood towers, traditional sides, breads, and desserts for $168 per adult or $82.50 per child. Reservations required at OpenTable.com.

St. Regis Hotel

The Buckhead luxury hotel will serve a fourcourse tasting menu on Nov. 27, from 2-4 p.m. Reservations are prepaid ($75 to $165 per person) and required at exploretock. com/stregisatl.

The Betty

The Kimpton Sylvan Hotel restaurant in Buckhead will serve a three-course Thanksgiving supper on Nov. 27, from 4-8 p.m., starting at $65 per person. Reservations are highly encouraged at OpenTable.com.

The Waldorf Astoria

Head to the Astor Ballroom at the Waldorf Astoria in Buckhead on Nov. 27 for an extravagant Thanksgiving buffet filled with carving stations, holiday side dishes, chilled seafood, and desserts. Reservations required at OpenTable.com. $210 per adult or $96 per child under 12.

Spring Quarter’s first rooftop restaurants open in Midtown

By Sarra Sedghi

Midtown development Spring Quarter welcomed its first two restaurants in October: Chef Fuyuhiko Ito’s (Umi, MF Buckhead) Celestia, a cocktail bar and lounge, and ISHIN, an adjacent omakase counter.

Celestia’s current menu focuses on “contemporary international” cuisine, including dishes like wagyu ravioli, oysters and caviar, and lobster. ISHIN, a 16-seat omakase counter, offers two seatings, starting at 5:30 p.m., five nights a week. Here, you’ll find a chef’s choice selection of nigiri, crudo, and yakizakana (grilled fish).

Located on the 8th floor of the Ten Twenty Spring office tower on Spring Street, expect sake, wine, and cocktails at both Celestia and ISHIN.

“ISHIN and Celestia represent a culinary journey of the places I’ve been, the flavors I’ve tasted and the unique moments that were found along the way,” Ito said in a press release. “We look forward to inviting Atlanta to take a bite

and a sip with us and discover this new dining experience for Atlanta, which will soon be followed by the opening of our flagship restaurant, Sozou.”

Ito plans to open the more casual Sozou on the ground floor of Ten Twenty Spring some time in early 2026, which will feature a robata grill and sushi counter.

Spring Quarter’s upcoming restaurants include Habaneros, Japanese restaurant Sozou, Pataaka, and possibly a restaurant curated by Steve Palmer (Indigo Hospitality Group) located inside the renovated H.M. Patterson & Son-Spring Hill Chapel. The City of Atlanta declared the H.M. Patterson & Son-Spring Hill Chapel a historic landmark in 2018.

Palmer announced in 2023 that he would bring a “morning-to-night [food and beverage] destination” to the nearly century-old H.M. Patterson building.

While Atlanta-based developer Portman Holdings preserved the historic funeral home and mortuary, providing additional entertainment amenities for Spring Quarter, Palmer and Indigo Road are

not listed on the website and were not mentioned in the press release.

“Portman looks forward to announcing more details about the concept and plans for The Patterson soon,” a representative for Spring Quarter told Rough Draft when asked about Palmer’s restaurant.

Portman Holdings first broke ground on the Spring Quarter complex in 2022. Spring Quarter currently houses the Ten Twenty Spring office tower and Sora, a luxury residential community with a sauna, multiple fitness centers, a pool, and ground-floor retail like Pepper Boxing.

Monday – Saturday, 5 p.m. to 12 a.m.

Tuesday – Saturday for seatings at 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Reservations

Did you miss these recent metro restaurant openings?

By Beth McKibben

Check out this roundup of recent restaurant openings and announcements of upcoming restaurants you might have missed

White Windmill Bakery & Cafe

562 Main St., Lindbergh whitewbakerycafe.com

The Uptown Atlanta location of KoreanFrench bakery-cafe White Windmill near the Lindbergh MARTA station opened in Buckhead, joining other new restaurants at the transit-oriented complex, including Madre Selva, Bene Korean Steakhouse, El Gordo, and J’ouvert Caribbean Kitchen.

Rreal Tacos

Ford Factory Lofts, Old Fourth Ward, Eastside Beltline rrealtacos.com

A new location of Rreal Tacos opened in the former Dos Burros space at the Ford Factory Lofts across from Ponce City Market on the Eastside Beltline.

Mason’s Super Dogs

Historic Fourth Ward Skate Park, Old Fourth Ward masonssuperdogs.com

A location of Mason’s Super Dogs opened near the Historic Fourth Ward Skate Park along the Eastside Beltline. Owned by 19-year-old Mason Wright, the Old Fourth Ward location is part of the Beltline’s incubator marketplace, supporting up-andcoming restaurants and businesses.

Eclipse di Luna

661 Auburn Ave., Old Fourth Ward eclipsediluna.com

Eclipse di Luna is open at SPX Alley, next door to Pour Taproom on the Eastside Beltline. The tapas restaurant and bar replaces Nina & Rafi, which closed in April. Unlike the three other locations of Eclipse di Luna in Metro Atlanta, the Beltline location is part of a partnership with Rreal Tacos owner Damian Otero.

Roaring Social

101 W. Ponce de Leon Ave., Decatur roaringsocialdecatur.com

The second location of Roaring Social opened in downtown Decatur. Located on West Ponce De Leon Avenue, Roaring Social features a bar with a small food menu, live music, and four bowling lanes. Please note, there is a dress code here. Roaring Social includes a location in downtown Alpharetta.

Dumpling Master

1248 Clairmont Road, Decatur dumplingmaster.us

A fifth location of dim sum and noodle restaurant Dumpling Master just opened in Decatur. The restaurant also includes locations in Chamblee, Alpharetta, Buford, and Peachtree City.

La Industria

3466 Holcomb Bridge Road, Peachtree Corners laindustriamexicangrill.com

A new Mexican restaurant just opened in the heart of Peachtree Corners, serving everything from burritos and tacos to fajita platters and seafood dishes.

Friendship BBQ

2255 Pleasant Hill Road, Duluth friendshipbbqatl.com

Look for a variety of Chinesestyle barbecue and skewers from Friendship BBQ, including seafood, beef, lamb, vegetables, and tofu.