Pride Month is more crucial than ever
Jun. 5 — It’s National Pride Month, despite what politicians and internet trolls say and post. The Stonewall Riots in 1969 were the flashpoint of the modern LGBTQ+ civil rights movement, and it continues today even more urgently as conservatives try to turn back the clock.
⚓ The latest bit of erasure comes from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has ordered the renaming of a U.S. Navy ship named after gay rights icon Harvey Milk. It’s petty and vindictive, purposely done during Pride Month.
🔬 Another egregious move by the Trump administration is trying to cut $1.5 billion in funding from the CDC’s HIV prevention and surveillance programs.
📖 Literary icon Edmund White died Tuesday at age 85, leaving behind a body of work that helped shape and define the queer experience for many readers. Some of his best-known works include “The Joy of Gay Sex” and “States of Desire: Travels in Gay America.” White, who lived with HIV for nearly 40 years, also co-founded Gay Men’s Health Crisis in 1982 at the beginning of the AIDS epidemic.
🌈 Wherever or however you celebrate Pride this month, know that you are not alone and that millions stand in solidarity with you.
Allons-y!
Collin
Pride Across Georgia: Festivals, parades, and solidarity
🏳️🌈 While Atlanta doesn’t host its official Pride festival and parade until October, queer Atlantans don’t have to wait to celebrate.
Pride organizations across Georgia – including Athens (pictured), Rome, Columbus and Augusta – are celebrating this month with festivals, parades, parties, and more.
Facing challenges like a lack of funding and harassment, smaller Pride organizations are fighting to provide safe and celebratory spaces for vulnerable LGBTQ+ Southerners – and supporting them is more important than ever.
➡ Check out Katie Burkholder’s guide to state Pride events this month.
Data meets art at the High Museum!
SPONSORED BY THE HIGH MUSEUM
✨ Ready for a sensory journey? Immerse yourself in the data-verse and get ready for a mind-bending experience – Ryoji Ikeda’s captivating light and sound installations are a must-see.
➞ On view now at the High Museum.
10 easy ways to get an HIV test in Atlanta
⚕️Our colleagues at Healthbeat report that Georgia has the highest rate of new HIV infections in the country.
There are many convenient, discreet, even free, ways to get tested in Atlanta. From a home test kit to local health departments to Out of the Closet Thrift Stores (pictured) and adult stores like Starship, there are many options to choose from.
➡ See the full list of testing options here.
‘The Many Passions of Michael Hardwick’ recalls a pivotal moment in LGBTQ+ activism
📖 Martin Padgett’s new nonfiction book, “The Many Passions of Michael Hardwick: Sex and the Supreme Court in the Age of AIDS,” details Hardwick’s 1982 arrest for sodomy in his Virginia-Highland home and his fight to have the arcane law overturned by the Supreme Court.
An unassuming bartender and artist, Padgett writes that Hardwick (pictured) wasn’t looking for the spotlight or to have his name associated with gay rights, but his anger over the invasion of his privacy put him in the headlines across the country in the 1980s.
Padgett paints a rich picture of Atlanta in the 1980s and cements Hardwick as a historical figure, whose selfless act of defiance still reverberates in today’s politics.
➡ Find out more about Padgett’s book here.
MORE TO READ
🦠 Decatur resident Franklin Abbott has been a guiding presence in LGBTQ+ activism in Atlanta for more than 50 years. Abbott’s new book, “My Ordinary Life,” was born from his experiences during the COVID-19 lockdown, which forced him to take stock of his life. The book will be published by RFD Press on June 6.
Best Bets
💃🏽 Landmark Midtown Art Cinema and Out on Film are kicking off Pride Month with a series of films, beginning tonight at 7 p.m. with a screening of camp classic “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar.” Other upcoming films include “Milk,” “The Kids Are Alright,” and “Pariah.”
🛼 The Plaza Theatre kicks off a month of LGBTQ+ films with Pride at the Plaza tonight at 7 p.m. with Olivia Newton-John’s cult roller disco flick “Xanadu.”
🎵 Theatrical Outfit presents the premiere of the musical “Young John Lewis,” which examines a decade in the life of the late congressman and his journey from student activist to major leader in the Civil Rights movement. The show runs tonight through June 29.
🏳️🌈 Atlanta Eagle presents Drag Down South ‘25 at East Point City Hall on June 7 from 8 to 10:30 p.m. The event will feature drag stars Shawna Brooks, Bubba D’Licious, Hot Chocolate, Leena Lust, and many more. The event is free and open to the public.
🎞️ Out On Film, Atlanta Pride, Lambda Legal, Georgia Equality and Craig Hardesty are presenting the acclaimed film “Heightened Scrutiny” on June 10 at 7 p.m. at the Midtown Art Cinema. The film chronicles the ongoing Supreme Court case for transgender adolescents’ access to life-saving healthcare.
Social Follow of the Week
📸 For this week’s social follow, we’re shouting out Ava Davis – trans activist, actress, writer, filmmaker, Sundance Fellow, and the self-proclaimed “Duchess of Grant Park.” Get to know her!
