The Atlanta Pride Committee today announced the event lineup for the upcoming Stonewall Month of activities.
Though the traditional Pride season occurs during June to coincide with the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, the Atlanta Pride festival has been held in October for the past four years. Pride organizers have also made an effort to create a schedule of events during the traditional Pride month.
Atlanta Pride will be held Oct. 11-13 at Piedmont Park.
“While many in our community bemoan our move to October for the Atlanta Pride Festival, we are excited to commemorate the anniversary of the 1969 riots at the Stonewall Inn with a robust offering of educational programs, social gatherings, and community activities that run the gamut of the LGBTQ community in Atlanta,” said Atlanta Pride Executive Director Buck Cooke.
MondoHomo, Atlanta's Memorial Day Weekend queer arts festival, is canceled, according to event co-founder Kiki Carr. The decision came earlier this year when organizers felt it was time to move on.
"I think it will reinvent itself," Carr said today about the future of the festival.
"Basically the core group of folks that started it are tired and want to move on other projects," she continued. "We've been slowly coming to that conclusion for a while, but probably came to an agreement in the last two months."
GA Voice columnist and All News 106.7 radio personality Melissa Carter will host a night of art to celebrate the creative works of her mother, Millie Pete Carter. The event, called "The Way I See It," will be held Thursday, Nov. 15, at Muse & Co. in Roswell and will benefit Vision Rehabilitation Services of Georgia.
“My Mom, Millie Pete, has been an artist and art teacher all her life, and even though she is losing her vision she is still creating art,” Melissa Carter said of the upcoming event. “This Thursday we are going to display and sell a variety of her pieces at an event called The Way I See It, to benefit Vision Rehabilitation Services of Georgia.”
Mille Pete is suffering from macular degeneration, a medical condition which ultimately results in the loss of vision. Melissa wrote about her mom's condition, and all that she has learned from her mother, in a March 2012 GA Voice column:
The Atlanta Pride Committee held a VIP party at the Georgia Aquarium on Friday, Oct. 12, to honor and recognize sponsors and supporters of the annual festival. Grand marshals of the Atlanta Pride parade were honored and honorary grand marshals Stuart Milk, the gay nephew of the gay icon Harvey Milk, and Ben Cohen, founder of the anti-bullying StandUp Foundation, thanked everyone for their support. U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights icon who has been a stalwart supporter of LGBT equality, also gave a rousing speech. Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed was also on hand to welcome people to Atlanta.
To view more photos from the Pride VIP party, click here.
Andy Bell is not one to rest on his laurels. In addition to logging more than a quarter of a century as Erasure’s charismatic vocalist, notorious for his dance moves and fondness for costumes ranging from elaborate to skimpy, he found the time to release a couple of solo discs. Bell also made a name for himself on the DJ circuit.
As one of the headliners at the 2012 Atlanta Pride, Bell is scheduled to perform at 8:05 p.m. on the Coca Cola Stage.
GA Voice: Erasure marked its 25th anniversary a couple of years ago. Looking back at the early days, did you ever imagine that you and Vince [Clarke] would be celebrating such a milestone?
Andy Bell: I knew that I was a massive fan of Vince Clarke and it is a massive pleasure to work with him. Every day that we are all here is a blessing! So I never imagined we’d still be here 25 years later because I tend to take each day as it comes.