Another setback
June 18 — Just as I was about to hit send on today’s newsletter, we got word that the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors, in another devastating blow to the trans community. Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in her dissent that the court’s conservative majority “abandons transgender children and their families to political whims.”
Also happening:
🪧 Thousands of residents across Georgia and millions across the U.S. turned out Saturday for the “No Kings” rallies to push back against Trump’s policies, especially the deportation of immigrants. We’ve got pictures and coverage if you somehow missed it.
🙄 The Southern Baptist Convention announced last week that it wants to put the kibosh on porn, sports betting, and – of course – marriage equality. What else is new?
⁉️ Trump’s anti-trans executive order could allow individual doctors to refuse care to veterans as well as bar medical professionals who are Democrats or unmarried from working in VA hospitals.
🦞 Remember when The B-52s were on their farewell tour a couple of years ago? Like Cher before them, it was short-lived. The original Athens party band is going back on the road with Devo! They’ll be at Ameris Bank Amphitheater on Oct. 25.
Fish and candy,
Collin
🪩 ART PARTY is Atlanta Contemporary’s annual fundraiser that transforms the campus with exhibitions, live music, DJs, special performances, and Open Studios. Join us on Sat. June 21 for an unforgettable evening that supports Atlanta Contemporary’s mission to keep admission free, every day. SPONSOR MESSAGE
Atlanta Pride’s 2025 theme is ‘Rooted in Resistance’
✊🏽 Atlanta Pride has announced the official theme of this year’s Pride festival on Oct. 11 and 12. The theme, “Rooted in Resistance,” honors the history of the LGBTQ+ movement and the Stonewall Riots of 1969. This year’s logo was designed by local graphic designer Edwin Villalba, a senior graphic designer at Georgia Power.
Atlanta Pride Executive Director Chris McCain told Georgia Voice that the theme is both “a call back and a call forward,” connecting history with the future as advocates and activists continue to fight against federal and local attacks on LGBTQ+ rights.
➡ Find out more about this year’s theme here.
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.
Trans couple seeks community support to flee the U.S.
🏳️⚧️ Amid ever-expanding legislative attacks on trans people, militarized aggression against protestors, and a proliferation of anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments, trans Atlantans Monica Helms and Darlene Wagner are seeking community support to take refuge in Costa Rica.
Both Helms, 74, and Wagner, 50, are longtime transgender activists. Helms, a Navy veteran, created the iconic transgender flag in 1999 and the Transgender American Veterans Association in 2003. Wagner is a writer and scientist known for her work in queer tech and LGBTQ+ health.
After decades of advocacy, the two are facing growing concerns about their safety in the U.S.
➡ Read Katie Burkholder’s interview here.
The best woman at the wedding
THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID | BY MELISSA CARTER
🕴️I recently took part in a wedding where I stood with the groom as best woman. I’ve served as maid of honor, bridesmaid, but never been one of the groomsmen. What’s the difference? This time I wore a man’s suit.
It was a nice, tailored three-piece suit that the groom generously provided to me and his best man. I could tell not many at Indochino in Buckhead were used to a woman coming in for an initial fitting, but there I was standing on a platform and getting measured behind a curtain.
➡ Read the rest of Melissa’s column here.
🥾 22 Miles. One Day. The Trailblaze Challenge is a life-changing endurance experience that helps Make-A-Wish Georgia grant wishes for children fighting critical illness. Not ready for 22 miles? Try Trailblaze 2.0 – same weekend, same trail, just 13 miles! October 24-26. SPONSOR MESSAGE
Best Bets
💃🏼 Out Front Theatre presents drag star Ginger Minj’s one-woman show The Broad’s Way June 19-29. From Streisand to Merman, Garland to Minelli, Ginger makes her way through the greatest hits of Broadway’s biggest belters.
🎻 The Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra join forces on June 21 at 7 p.m. in Symphony Hall for Disney PRIDE in Concert. The evening will feature famous tunes from “Mary Poppins” to “The Lion King.”
🎶 Sapphic Solstice is an immersive art and performance experience for Atlanta’s queer and BIPOC community set for June 21 fom 6-9 p.m. at 945 Allene Ave.
⛪ Atlanta Pride is partnering with St. Luke Lutheran Church for Drag Me to Church: An Interfaith Commemoration of Stonewall on June 22. The family-friendly, interfaith worship service will feature local clergy, musicians, drag performers, and community leaders.
Social Follow of the Week
📸 Vivian Jenna Wilson has absolutely had it with her father – just like the rest of us. Her retorts and outspoken experience as a trans youth have made her a social media celebrity, sought-after model, and burgeoning drag star.
