and the struggles he led helped pave the way for greater tolerance. LEVS: Arnie Epps is a 34-year-old media executive. ARNIE EPPS (Media Executive): I think it has a lot to do with King, civil rights and that whole movement. LEVS: That sense of acceptance has helped Atlanta draw the highest concentration of black gay and lesbian couples in the South. You have a little of it, but it's mostly, you know, acceptance to the lifestyle. TAYLOR: Because Atlanta is open to the lifestyle, whereas a lot of places that we are now, there's still, you know, gay bashing and there's still-they don't want people to just be themselves, whereas Atlanta, you don't have all that. Taylor, a native Texan, is one of thousands of gay people who have flocked here from other parts of the South. His weekly drag show attracts more than a hundred people and he's a regular on a popular radio program. LEVS: Miss Sophia is the stage name of Joe Taylor. TAYLOR: (As Miss Sophia) Good, then hold me. TAYLOR: (As Miss Sophia) Sean, you like ladies? TAYLOR: (As Miss Sophia) What's your name?
LEVS: Then the entertainer steps down from the stage to interact with the audience. JOE TAYLOR (Drag Entertainer): (As Miss Sophia `Real Red' MacIntosh) (Singing) Tonight, I tell you. LEVS: Under the beam of a spotlight, Miss Sophia starts to lip sync. Unidentified Emcee: Please, put your hands together for the talents of Miss Sophia `Real Red' MacIntosh. The lights go down in a club called Atlanta Live. But in the South, Atlanta is seen by some as a safe haven. Venues include the Landmark Midtown Art Cinema on Monroe Drive Northeast.Even today, gays and lesbians have difficulty finding a comfortable place to call home. Held in October or November, this one-week film festival is based within Midtown Atlanta and is timed to coincide with the very notable LGBT History Month.
Staged annually in August or September, this famous black pride celebration gets bigger and better each year.Ītlanta's Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (Out of Film)
At 13:00 on the Sunday, the main Pride Parade begins and heads through the streets around the Civic Center MARTA Station. The majority of the activities and events are based around Piedmont Park and include live music, stalls and various competitions. This is an enormous gay pride festival and attendance figures now top 200,000 people, meaning that Atlanta is always extremely busy during these celebrations. Blakes is a favorite bar to be found within the local Midtown 'gayborhood' and resides on 10th Street, being founded in 1988 and remaining open until as late as 03:00 in the morning most days.įirst held at the beginning of the 1970s, Atlanta Pride takes place each year over a weekend in the middle of October. If you are simply looking to meet like-minded people, then pay a visit to a local gym, take a stroll around Piedmont Park, or head to Blakes on the Park for a spot of lunch. On Northside Drive, Swinging Richards is a particularly popular gay bar known for its outrageous dancers, while on Piedmont Avenue, Burkharts Pub caters to a relaxed crowd and offers drag shows, pool tables, karaoke, an outdoor patio area and 'Sing-Along Sundays'. In Midtown Atlanta, popular nightspots are to be found along 10th Street Northeast, Cheshire Bridge Road Northeast, Faulkner Road Northeast, Peachtree Street Northeast, Piedmont Avenue Northeast and Ponce de Leon Avenue Northeast. The city is called home by a sizeable gay community, which is generally situated in and around the Midtown, Decatur, Candler Park, East Atlanta Village, Inman Park, Virginia Highlands and Little Five Points neighborhoods. The city of Atlanta is without question Georgia's leading LGBT city and manages to boast a number of significant events, including a huge summer pride festival.