Pride, Politics & Pilates
Wednesday, Jun. 25 — It’s the last week for celebrations marking Pride Month, and we’ve got a roundup of events happening across the state in our Best Bets block below. We’re also in production mode for the July issue of Georgia Voice, which will be out next week.
Here are a few news headlines:
🙄 Just after I hit send on last week’s newsletter, Georgia’s Republican lawmakers scrapped plans to redraw voting district maps in their favor, partially because they feared a backlash ahead of the midterms in November. 🟰 Georgia Equality is hosting the Evening for Equality on June 27, an event celebrating 31 years of the organization’s work to advance safety and opportunity for the state’s LGBTQ+ community.
💵 United Way of Greater Atlanta will partner with the OUT Georgia Business Alliance to provide grants to uplift and empower the state’s LGBTQ+ community. Applications open July 1.
🤬 A new report claims that the New York Times helped turn trans rights into a political controversy, moving from rights-based framing toward more skeptical, conflict-driven coverage.
🎶 Clive Davis, the bisexual music mogul who helped shape the careers of Whitney Houston, Bruce Springsteen, and many more, died Monday at age 94.
I can pay my own rent, pay my light bill…
Collin
Bautista makes Georgia political history
🗳️ Bella Bautista, the Democratic candidate for Georgia House of Representatives District 14, is on the ballot this fall.
The first openly trans woman to win a Georgia primary, Bautista was inspired to run for office while advocating at the Capitol for transgender rights last year through her non-profit, This Doesn’t Define Me.
One of her top priorities is ending tax breaks for data centers, as well as instituting a freeze on electricity prices, combatting data surveillance, and investing in the infrastructure of her home district.
➡ Read the full story from Katie Burkholder here.
Celebrate Summer in Alpharetta!
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All summer long, enjoy the can’t-miss concerts, patriotic celebrations, global excitement, signature festivals, AND a chance to score your own weekend getaway.
Whether you’re here to rock out, explore, cheer, or unwind, Alpharetta is your home base for a summer that truly celebrates it all.
➞ Learn more here.
World Cup conversation
⚽ In 1996, as Atlanta hosted the Olympics, Briana Scurry helped the U.S. Women’s National Team win the first gold ever awarded in women’s soccer — in front of a record-setting crowd, in a moment that changed the sport forever. Thirty years later, the world returns. And so does she.
Moderated by Athlete Ally Founder and Executive Director Hudson Taylor, Pride on the Pitch is a one-night conversation with one of the most decorated goalkeepers in the history of the game — two Olympic golds, a 1999 World Cup championship, and a 2017 induction into the National Soccer Hall of Fame as the first Black woman and the first openly gay player ever enshrined.
➡ This free event is June 29 at 6 p.m. at State Farm Arena. Due to security protocols and space constraints, RSVP is required.
More World Cup
📍 Don’t forget to check out the Pride House International and All Stripes watch parties as the FIFA World Cup continues in Atlanta and across North America through mid-July.
New Pilates classes create space for Atlanta’s queer community
🙆🏽♀️ Laura Caffrey, a certified instructor at The Studio Pilates, is teaching dedicated “Pilates for queer bodies” classes to make the fitness practice more accessible to LGBTQ+ people in Atlanta.
The 50-minute, beginner-friendly reformer classes are offered on a sliding scale, and participants receive a free pair of grippy socks. All of the body-neutral classes include consent cards, so people can opt in or out of hands-on cueing.
“It’s a way to get people in the door who don’t feel like it’s a place for them, that they’re not going to be misgendered, their bodily autonomy is going to be respected, and that Pilates should be a fun and joyful thing,” said Caffrey.
➡ Read Laura Scholz’s full story here.
Best Bets to close out Pride Month
🕺 Augusta Pride is set for June 26-28 at Augusta Exchange Club Fairgrounds with outdoor dance party Beats on Broad, a parade, poolside after parties, and much more.
🛍️ Griffin Pride is June 27 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Stuckey Auditorium on the UGA Griffin campus. There will be a vendor market, live music, food trucks, kids’ activities, and more.
💃 Rome Pride is June 27 from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Ridge Ferry Park with a vendor market, March for Rights, live entertainment, and a closing drag show.
🎶 Stonewall at Starland Yard in Savannah is June 27 from 2 to 10 p.m. Attendees can look forward to the annual “So You Think You Can Drag” competition, the Stonewall Mini Ball, and an evening of music and dance featuring a live DJ.
☀️ Golden Isles Pride is June 27 from 5 to 10 p.m. outside Little Zooks in downtown Brunswick with entertainment, music, and more.
➡ Find many more events and activities in our IG stories @thegeorgiavoice.
