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1989, The Year That Was... Part two of a two part series
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of Life, focusing on PWA's who outlive expec
tations premieres.
September
Rita Mae Brown hits town to autograph the
newly released paperback edition of Bingo. Her
comments,in a Creative Loafing interview,
about the US Congress being the world's largest
faggot club raise at least a few eyebrows. Go
get 'em Rita Mae."
• Atlanta photographer Roger Rutherford, late
of Houston, died of complications from AIDS.
Rutherford was a well known teacher whose
art/erotic nudes drew much comment whenever
they were shown. Proceeds from a sale of
Rutherford's remaining photos went to benefit
NAPWA/Atlanta and Project Open Hand."
• Eighteen months after it began publication,
Southern Voice has doubled its circulation to
over 10,000 copies bi-weekly. Available at
more than 100 distribution points including 40
street boxes. And it's still free.
• Texas Two-Stepping with the Girls, SAME'S
new musical about the evolution of a series of
lesbian relationships, opened to shouting,
stomping crowds of women (and a few men) at
Seven Stages. Slap leather!
October
Very Out Lesbian Folksinger Phranc was in
town to promote her new album, I Enjoy Being
a Girl , and told Southern Voice's KC
Wildmoon that too often the press makes a big
ger deal of her lesbianism than her music. Such
are the wages of truth.
November
Everybody's fave Armistead Maupin was in
town to autograph his latest and final book in
the Tales of the City series, Sure of You. Lines
were long and applause was loud, but there was
an air of apprehension about what Maupin will
do next"
• Kate Clinton's moved uptown ! Her
November concert was held at the Buckhead
Roxy. Not unlike Dan Quayle, Kate gets fun
nier and funnier every time we hear her—the
crowd barely has a chance to breathe between
laughs. Kate for President in 92!
• Give a hand to SAME and Image Film and
Video for producing the second ever Lesbian
and Gay Film Festival in Atlanta. Organizers
say the event is on again for next year. Good
news!
• Lea Delaria and Kelley Edwards (of Dos
Lesbos fame) returned to town for two shows
of Girl Friday (with Richard Weinstock).
Despite technical glitches galore, their ""les
bian/gay answer to Saturday Night Live""
played to packed houses.
gay or lesbian performer hit town, now it hap
pens almost monthly.
June
Local photographer Billy Howard's stunning
new book, Epitaphs for the Living: Words and
Images in the Time of AIDS, rolls off the press
es and draws raves from critics, the public and
the 75 plus PWA's who collaborated on the
project
• The first of Southern Voice's 40 plus distribu
tion boxes hit the streets. The boxes are black
with white lettering. And read all over. SV con
tinues the celebration of Stonewalls 20th with
and Open House featuring the sounds of
Angela Motter and Jacque & Joyce.
• Jomandi's wickedly funny and eerily accurate
The Colored Museum features Miss Roj, a
Black drag queen whose rap is alternately hilar
ious and terrifying. Is this the first portrayal of
a gay character in Atlanta's mainstream Black
theater?
January
Once again not afraid to support rhetoric with
action, 5th District Congressman John Lewis
signed on to H.R. 709, the so called Gay Rights
Bill in Congress. It was Lewis' first official
action in the 100th Congress. In November
Lewis became a co-sponsor of the AIDS
Housing Opportunity Act designed to provide
more housing for homeless PWA's. Thanks,
John.
• Fulton County Commission Chair Michael
Lomax said that he was on the verge of intro
ducing an ordinance banning discrimination
based on sexual orientation and HIV status. Its
been almost a year Michael, what's happnin'?
March
In his first major public appearance before a
lesbian/gay group, Mayoral Candidate
Maynard Jackson announced that hate crimes
would be a high priority of his administration.
Jackson also made a strong case for his long
term support of the gay community, suggesting,
but not saying, that opponent Lomax's new
found attraction to the cause was politically
motivated. Both major candidates courting the
gay vote ? Time to celebrate !
Miss Roj: The "Colored Museum's"
Drag Queen from outer space
March
Lccal activist Tad Gardocki is chosen as a
Legislative Intern for 5th District Congressman
John Lewis. Later, Gardocki is named to a one
year term as a Board Member of the Human
Rights Campaign Fund, becomes Director of
LEGAL (legislate Equality for Gays and
Lesbians) and helps organize a gay soccer
Amy and Emily nominated
for two Grammys
• Suede's in town again. The sultry, funny
songstress packs 'em in again. Atlanta can’t
seem to get enough of her!
• And Diane Davidson and her band whoop it
up at the Buckhead Roxy. See what we mean ?
• Jim Knoll's touching comedy based on his
experiences as an AID Atlanta Buddy, Fly
High, appears in its first full length public pre
sentation at Onstage Atlanta.
July
The Atlanta Gay Men's Chorus joins over 50
other similar groups at the Third Festival of
Gay and Lesbian Choruses in Seattle,
Washington. They bow to not one, but two
standing ovations."
• Different, last year's hit musical, returns in a
new and more polished format, including a live
orchestra, and draws raves from audience and
critics alike. Author Pruitt and Composer
Hutchison are said to be working on a musical
set in the time of Harvey Milk.
• SAME'S long awaited first video, Promise
Politics
by Gary Kaupman
Last issue we reviewed some important local
happenings in the areas of AIDS, community,
the law and our enemies. This week a recap of
culture and politics in 1989.
Counterculture
January
SAME and Nexus collaborated to bring three
new plays, three pieces of performance art and
a gallery full of visual art about AIDS to
Atlanta.
February
Presented by SAME, Dos Lesbos, a near hys
terical musical comedy "by for and about per
verts" and starring Kelley Edwards and Lea
Delaria, blew into town and packed Nexus
Theater. It's true, dykes and fags really do have
more fun!
March
The Indigo Girls, everybody's fave from local
performances, broke into the bigtime with a
new album on the Epic label. The album later
went gold, the duo opened for an R.E.M. tour
and, after a sold out AIDS benefit at the Fox,
toured Europe. Way to go Girls !
• Lucie Blue Tremblay brought her unique
whistling and delicate yet potent song styling to
town and charmed her way right into the hearts
of the audience. Locals Jackie and Joyce
opened, earning raves and a hoard of new fans
in the process.
• SAME brought the controversial Jerker, a
play by Robert Chesley, to Atlanta for a second
run. Despite better production values and per
formances than the first run, the show failed to
generate the excitement that it did three years
ago.
April
The six month-old Pride of Peachtree Lesbian
and Gay Marching Band marches off to sunny
Fort Lauderdale to participate in the 14th
National Conference of Gay and Lesbian
Marching Bands of America. March on!
May
Enfant terrible of the New York literary scene,
David Leavitt misses a scheduled reading and
autographing of his latest book, Equal
Affections, because of illness. His publicist
swears it isn't AIDS.
• On a brighter note, Alice Walker does make it
to town and Charis Books is mobbed by fans
seeking a glimpse of and word with the outspo
ken author whose latest is The Temple of My
Familiar.
• Cris Williamson and Teresa Trull do it
together at Center Stage. Times they are a
changin'. Used to be it was major news when a
12/Southern Voice • January 18,1990