Kindness still matters
Feb. 4 — The brothers of Renee Good, the poet and mother killed by ICE agents last month in Minneapolis, testified before a congressional committee on Tuesday. Luke and Brett Ganger called on the committee to rein in the violence ICE was causing across the country. Luke described Renee, who was a queer woman, as “A sister. A daughter. A mother. A partner and a friend. She believed tomorrow could be better than today. She believed that kindness mattered. And she lived that belief.” Not a single Republican attended the hearing.
Here are a few more headlines:
❄️ More than 40 openly LGBTQ+ athletes are expected to compete in the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics that open on Friday.
🤬 The Trump administration has announced it will expand the global gag rule to ban U.S. foreign aid for groups that promote “gender ideology.”
🪪 A bill advancing in Indiana contains multiple policies targeting transgender people, including preventing them from updating their birth certificates and driver’s licenses or using restrooms based on gender identity.
🇮🇷 Advocacy groups are demanding that the Trump administration not deport two gay men to Iran who sought asylum in the U.S.
📚 A bill moving through the Georgia legislature could cause librarians to self-censor controversial materials and lead to more challenges on books about LGBTQ+ people or issues.
💰The Atlanta LGBTQ+ Community Center Initiative is hiring a Director of Strategic Partnerships to design and execute a capital fundraising campaign. However, the City of Atlanta has yet to greenlight any of the recommendations made in December for building the center.
👠 After more than a decade of creating space for Atlanta’s burlesque community, Metropolitan Studios, Candybox Revue, and the Atlanta School of Burlesque will close this summer.
When the rain washes you clean, you’ll know…
Collin
P.S. Be sure to check out the February issue of Georgia Voice. And RIP to comedy legend Catherine O’Hara.
Community vigil honors lives lost to ICE
🕯️ A community vigil at Virginia-Highland Church in Atlanta on Jan. 29 brought together faith leaders, activist organizations, and families of detainees to honor the lives lost to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) violence and detention.
While the vigil honored the deaths of Alex Pretti, Renee Good, and Keith Porter, the three U.S. citizens who have been murdered by ICE agents since New Year’s Eve, the community also mourned the lives lost while in ICE custody, as well as the lives and families currently impacted by detention.
The vigil included an ofrenda – a traditional Mexican altar to honor the dead – created by Li An Sanchez of Community Estrella, live paintings to honor the dead, and musical performances.
➡ Read Katie Burkholder’s report here.
Fashion meets art at the High Museum!
SPONSORED BY THE HIGH MUSEUM
👗 Experience Viktor&Rolf: Fashion Statements – a bold, breathtaking exhibition celebrating avant-garde fashion visionaries who blurred the line between haute couture and art. Only at the High, the exhibition’s sole U.S. stop.
‘American Teenager’ tour brings stories of trans youth to cities across Georgia
🏳️⚧️ Nico Lang, the journalist and author behind the book “American Teenager: How Trans Kids are Surviving Hate and Finding Joy in a Turbulent Era,” is bringing their book tour to six cities in Georgia this month.
The book release follows Wyatt, Rhydian, Mykah, Clint, Ruby, Augie, Jack, and Kylie, eight trans and non-binary teenagers living across the country, from Florida’s conservative panhandle and Texas churches to queer communities in California and mosques in Illinois.
Lang is appearing tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the UU Congregation of Gwinnett in Lawrenceville.
➡ See the tour schedule and find out more about the book here.
Best Bets
👑 KING ME! The Black Excellence Show! is Sat., Feb. 7, at My Sister’s Room featuring a night of Black drag & masc excellence.
🎙️ Mona Lott sits down with iconic Atlanta drag queens Phoenix and Nicole Paige Brooks for a live taping of her “A Lott to Talk About” podcast on Feb. 10, 7:30 p.m., at Out Front Theatre.
💃🏾 The legendary Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is returning to The Fox Theatre in Atlanta from Feb. 11-15.
💘 Macon Pride is hosting a special Valentine’s cocktail-themed evening called Partners in Pride on Feb. 11 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Longleaf Distilling Co.
➡ For more events, be sure to check our IG stories @thegeorgiavoice.