Protests and praise
Jun. 12 — While protests against ICE arrests nationwide and here in metro Atlanta have dominated the news, the arrest of Andry Hernández Romero has probably flown under your radar.
Fifty-one lawmakers signed a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio demanding answers about Romero, a gay Venezuelan national who was deported and imprisoned in El Salvador without due process or evidence that he had committed any crime other than seeking asylum.
🪧 Protests will continue on Saturday, June 14, from 10 a.m. to noon, when No Kings, a “day of defiance” against the Trump administration, rallies are happening across the country. In Atlanta, the protest will take place at Liberty Plaza at the State Capitol.
🏳️🌈 Hundreds of thousands of people from around the globe attended WorldPride in Washington, D.C., which featured marches, music, and more. The Washington Blade has a recap of events.
🏆 Congratulations to Cole Escola, the first nonbinary performer to win a Tony Award for their lauded turn as Mary Todd Lincoln in “Oh, Mary,” and to Best Musical winner “Maybe Happy Ending,” which had its premiere at the Alliance Theatre.
✍️ Have you taken the community input survey for the proposed Atlanta LGBTQ+ Community Center? Your feedback is crucial to help guide the project.
Hit the ground running,
Collin
Queer Atlantans creating alternate nightlife events
🪩 From backyard drag shows and trans-inclusive raves to parties curated by Atlanta’s best DJs, queer Atlantans are finding alternative ways to foster community and collaboration through the time-honored tradition of partying.
“I love traditional LGBTQ+ nightlife spaces, but my biggest qualm is that they rarely make it known that they’re queer spaces,” Georgia State student Haisa Nguyen told Georgia Voice. “It’s frustrating because how will queer people know these spaces are for them if no one makes it known, and how will they be safe queer spaces?”
This frustration has led other queer Atlantans in their 20s to create parties, raves, and spots where LGBTQ+ people know they’ll be accepted as their true selves.
➡ Find out more about these new nightlife spots in Katie Burkholder’s feature story.
Mythic creatures meet modern art!
SPONSORED BY THE FERNBANK MUSEUM
✨ Step into a world where mythology and art collide! Spirit Guides: Fantastical Creatures from the Workshop of Jacobo and María Ángeles brings vibrant, hybrid animal sculptures to life in Fernbank’s WildWoods.
These whimsical sculptures blend Zapotec culture and contemporary art, each representing spirit guides tied to personality and destiny. Designed by renowned Oaxacan artists, this exhibit offers a soulful journey through indigenous culture, identity, and the natural world.
➡ Open now through August 3, with special after-hours viewings on select nights. Don’t miss this magical experience!
Audio GayTL is Atlanta’s new LGBTQ+ streaming radio station
🎶 With decades in the radio industry, Ron Roberts is bridging the gap between radio and streaming with a new niche audio station for Atlanta’s LGBTQ+ community.
Audio GayTL moves away from the homogenized and depersonalized of broadcast radio into what Roberts calls “narrowcasting.” The station features music and local personalities specifically curated for the LGBTQ+ community.
Tune into Audio GayTL and you’ll hear dance pop from artists like Lady Gaga, Shakira, and Tegan and Sarah with only three minutes of advertising per hour.
➡ Find out more about Audio GayTL here.
MORE TO EXPLORE
🍿 Jim Farmer spoke with the creators and cast of the new film “I Don’t Understand You” about a gay couple longing to have a child – and stopping at nothing to achieve their goal.
Making history and stories, one day at a time
REELING IN THE YEARS | BY MARIA HELENA DOLAN
🗣️ History. Stories about the way things used to be, the stuff that got us here, the elements that allow us to figure out how and where we proceed.
Seems simple enough, but it’s not. “The winner names the age!” This has been true, and the stories upholding the winners usually leave out women, non-passing queers, the “wretched refuse,” people too poor/too old/too pacifistic or who have the wrong skin color or religion.
Yet, there are queer stories – good and bad – that have gotten us to where we are today, especially the stories about visibility.
➡ Read Maria’s full column here.
Best Bets
📽️ Out on Film’s Landmark Pride Series continues tonight with a screening of “Milk” at 7 p.m. at Landmark Midtown Art Cinema.
🧘 Heal Your House Outdoor Festival is June 14 at Grant Park from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Headlining this year’s festival are DJs Timmy Regisford, Donna Edwards, Ron Pullman, and Steph MB. There will be yoga, a two-mile walk, meditation sessions, and more.
🎨 We Are Still Here will mark both Pride Month and Asian Pacific American Heritage Month on June 14 from 4 to 9 p.m. at Empire Arts Gallery with queer AAPI art, a QTBIPOC market, open mic, and more.
🍻 My Sister’s Room, Blake’s on the Park, and more local restaurants and bars will take part in the Rainbow Pub Crawl in Midtown on June 14 from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m.
Social Follow of the Week
📸 All Stripes, the official LGBTQ+ supporter group of Atlanta United, is giving its followers a Pride Month history lesson on its Instagram account, highlighting people and places who have contributed to the city’s queer community.
