The Stonewall Bar Association of Georgia, an organization for the state's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender legal community and allies, will hold its Annual Awards Dinner and honor Vandy Beth Glenn, Kathleen Womack and the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys for their continued fight for LGBT equality.
This year’s dinner is slated for Thursday, Oct. 25, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Georgia Tech Hotel & Conference Center. This year's honorees:
Plenty of events are taking place this weekend, from dance parties to beer busts to a transgender community gathering to 'sugarbutch' blogger realness. Check out our Best Bets and plan your weekend now.
As cities around the nation celebrate LGBT Pride the last weekend in June, Atlanta’s Stonewall Month winds down with several Pride-themed events. From sports to festivals and even a “Sugarbutch” blogger, there is plenty to do before the month wraps up.
Pride festivals are traditionally held the last weekend in June to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Riots, when patrons of the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City, fought back against police harassment in what is widely seen as a turning point for gay rights.
But after being celebrated the last weekend in June in Piedmont Park for most of its history, Atlanta Pride was forced to move in 2008 when a record drought booted all large festivals from the park. After an unpopular July 4 festival in 2009, Atlanta Pride organizers announced future festivals would be held in Piedmont Park to coincide with National Coming Out Day, Oct. 11.
The 1969 Stonewall Riots were rooted in naughtiness: gay men and women partying at the Stonewall Inn during a time when it was forbidden for homosexuals to gather in public, and their rowdy defiance when New York police attempted to break up their party by hauling people off to jail.
So it’s fitting that one of the marquee events of Atlanta’s Stonewall Month – the East Point Possums drag show – also originated with a little mischief.
“When I first went to East Point [city officials] for the permits, I billed it as a Shakespearean variety show,” said Rick Westbrook, aka Sister Rapture Divine Cox, who helps organize the annual drag extravaganza.
Augusta Pride organizers expect the third annual celebration to set attendance records with an expanded schedule that features several new events in addition to the hallmark parade and festival.
Travis Jenkins, who serves as the Augusta Pride president, has been with the group since its inception and was nominated to lead the 2012 event after working his way up from being the Pride vendor coordinator. A grant from the Augusta Convention and Vistors Bureau has allowed Augusta Pride to do more advertising, including placing banners throughout the city, and beef up the number of days involved.
The long weekend of Pride kicks off Thursday, June 21, with the VIP party/President’s Soiree at the Landmark Marion Hatcher House. Friday, June 22, is the kickoff party, with a Pride cabaret featuring drag performers at Club Argos and Augusta’s lesbian band She N She performing at The Filling Station bar.
While Atlanta Pride is now held in October, organizers of the LGBT fest continue to recognize the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in June with numerous events and collaborations honoring the what many consider to be the beginning of the gay rights movement.
This year, the Atlanta Pride Committee incorporates Augusta Pride into its Stonewall Week.
“We are excited to feature our sister organization, Augusta Pride, as they celebrate their third festival. They have done an amazing amount of work in such a short time and we are delighted to feature their event and encourage folks to make the trip to Augusta to enjoy the fruits of their labor," said Atlanta Pride Committee board chair Glen Paul Freedman in a statement.