What Colbert said
Jul. 24 — The assault on the arts, education, and journalism continues with Congress’s defunding of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, putting NPR and PBS affiliates at risk. Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) and WABE have both put out calls for donations to help keep vital news and arts programs on the air. Donate if you can.
🤬 CBS called the cancellation of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” a financial decision, but the move came after the network came under fire from Colbert himself for its $16 million payout to Trump to settle his lawsuit against “60 Minutes.” After Trump gloated about the firing on social media, Colbert responded directly to camera, “Go f*ck yourself.”
🏳️⚧️ Transgender women will no longer be able to compete in the Olympic or Paralympic Games in women’s categories, after a recent policy change referencing Trump’s executive order.
🌈 Under pressure from the Trump administration and Florida governor Ron DeSantis, both West Palm Beach and Boynton Beach were forced to remove their rainbow crosswalks.
🛂 Trans people can obtain accurate passports again thanks to a court ruling, but the window of opportunity might be short-lived.
⚖️ Venezuelan makeup artist Andry José Hernández Romero, who sought asylum in the U.S. but was deported to a notorious El Salvador megaprison, has been released and returned to Venezuela.
🦠 A new study found that Georgia has the fourth highest STD rate in the U.S. The state ranked the highest for new HIV cases in the country.
Keep this fire burning,
Collin
Adoption attorney urges LGBTQ+ families to protect legal parental rights
🧑🧑🧒🧒 With the election of President Donald Trump and the rise of anti-LGBTQ+ conservatism nationwide, many LGBTQ+ families fear the overturning of marriage equality and threats to their families.
According to adoption attorney Lori M. Surmay, these fears are “rational,” and LGBTQ+ families should be protecting themselves to the full extent of the law, because without a legal adoption, a non-biological parent risks their rights to their child – even one born within marriage.
“The scary thing about President Trump is his unpredictability. No one knows what he’s going to do on any topic, at any moment of any day…” Surmay told Georgia Voice. “Absolutely, people need to not be complacent.”
➡ Find out more in Katie Burkholder’s report here.
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!
These regulars are the ‘lifeblood’ of The Colonnade
🍽️ Open since 1927, The Colonnade has long been a destination in Atlanta for its classic meat-and-three fare. But over the last decade, the Cheshire Bridge Road restaurant institution has weathered several challenges—a series of bridge fires that cut off access roads for weeks (or months) at a time, a forced closure due to the global pandemic, and in 2024, a transition to new ownership.
But as The Colonnade approaches its 100th birthday, Atlanta’s second-oldest restaurant is more popular than ever, thanks to new leadership and a group of loyal regulars who can’t get enough of its fried chicken plates, ice-cold martinis, and the connections they’ve made with fellow diners.
“People sit at the same tables every week, introduce themselves to new people, and it’s a very welcome and lovely thing,” said co-owner Paul Donahue – who bought the restaurant last year with his partner, Lewis Jeffries – of The Colonnade’s enduring charm and appeal.
➡ Read more about the regulars in Laura Scholz’s feature.
Actor’s Express staging award-winning ‘A Strange Loop’
🎶 On Broadway, “A Strange Loop” – with a book, music, and lyrics by Michael R. Jackson – won virtually every Best Musical award possible in 2022, including the Tony.
Hailed for its inventiveness, the Pulitzer Prize-winning show tells the story of Usher, a Black gay man who is writing a musical about a Black gay man, who himself is also writing a musical about a Black gay man. It may sound confusing, but rest assured, “A Strange Loop” is full of terrific music, joy, and Black queerness.
Actor’s Express Artistic Director Freddie Ashley has wanted to stage the show for quite some time, and he’s finally getting his chance. “A Strange Loop” will run July 24 through Aug. 31.
➡ Read Jim Farmer’s interview with director Amanda Washington and actor Eddie Weaver.
MORE THEATRE
🎭 Our Katie Burkholder took in several of the shows at last week’s Lavender Fest and has reviews of “Stuck” and “Yesterday is Dead.”
Best Film Bets
🎞️ Join Lavender Lens and The Bakery for a screening of “Can’t Stop Change: Queer Climate Stories from the Florida Frontlines” by Atlanta’s own Yarrow Koning. The screening is tonight starting at 6:30 p.m. at The Supermarket, 638 N. Highland Ave.
📽️ The Dirty South Film Festival, which celebrates pleasure, kink, and creative freedom, is coming to The Plaza Theatre on July 25. The festival showcases boundary-pushing films from sex workers, indie filmmakers, and artists across the globe who explore kink, BDSM, and erotic expression through powerful storytelling.
🎼 Put on your lederhosen and practice your best Maria von Trapp impressions for “Sing-a-Long Sound of Music,” part of the Coca-Cola Film Series at The Fox Theatre on July 27 at 4 p.m.
Social Follow of the Week
📸 Want to make new friends and meet fellow artists? The ATL Queer Art Club meets regularly at Candler Park and other locations for special events, like tonight’s Ice Cream + Paint Grenade at Heck.house in Scottsdale.
