Ingredients:
- 1.25 fl oz CIROC vodka
- 0.75 fl oz Pomegranate Liqueur
- 0.75 fl oz Lemon Juice
- 0.5 fl oz Simple Syrup

Directions:
Shake over crushed ice. Strain into a champagne flute.

“We wanted to draw awareness and show LGBT people in a positive light,” said Pride Expo Vice President Ray McCreary. “We are a vital part of the community and shouldn’t be overlooked.”

The event’s creators hope to address the needs and interests of the LGBT community of the South while offering cultural and educational activities that inform, inspire and entertain. The expo will offer exhibits, informational break-out sessions, social networking events, shopping, dining and entertainment.

With the expo only a few months away, McCreary said organizers are busy lining up live entertainment and speakers. He confirmed one after party will be held at My Sister’s Room on Saturday, April 21, with a drag show, VIP room, food, beverages and a DJ.
“Things are coming along great,” he said. “Every day we’re getting more hits on the web site and people are calling in asking about tickets.”

Tickets should go on sale around February 1. Attendees will have three admission options and participation levels. General admission tickets will include attendance to the Pride Expo and all activities held within the exhibit hall. After-hours passes will allow guests the same daily events plus some of the most exclusive entertainment and after-hours parties in the city. The full-access VIP passes will provide an all-inclusive experience, including attendance at all Pride Expo events and all off-site activities. The exclusive VIP events include private entertainment venues, backstage access, food and wine tastings, private parties with celebrity entertainment, photo opportunities, signings and much more.

The Pride Expo will also partner with local non-profits, charities and organizations and will donate a portion of the proceeds generated from ticket sales to those groups. Currently, the event will benefit For the Kid in All of Us, but McCreary said opportunities to work with other charities are still available.

From your experience at MISTER, do you think Atlanta’s gay community is being responsible when it comes to HIV prevention?
The real challenge isn’t so much lack of responsibility as it is lack of knowledge that the Atlanta gay community has in regards to HIV and safer sex practices. Many men think they are being safe when, in fact, they are at a high risk of contracting HIV. This is especially true with men that are in “monogamous” relationships. In a recent CDC study, a scary finding suggests that men in monogamous partnerships are more likely to contract HIV than single gay men. Men in relationships tend to discontinue consistent condom usage because they assume exclusivity with one another. One or both partners might stray but be afraid to admit it. Meanwhile, they have unknowingly introduced HIV or another STD into the relationship.
 
What are your thoughts on staying healthy for those already infected?
Safer sex doesn’t stop once you are infected. With a weakened immune system, other STDs such as syphilis or hepatitis-B can be much harder to treat. We also encourage those infected to stay on top of their health. It is especially important for them to continue regular check-ups to monitor how the virus is affecting them.  In December 2011, the CDC reported that only 51 percent of those aware of their HIV positive status receive ongoing medical care and treatment, and perhaps more profound, a study published in Health Psychology estimates that about 80 percent of young gay men who are HIV-positive don’t know their status because they’ve not been tested since their exposure. 
 
How often should sexually active people get tested?
It is recommended by the CDC that all gay and bisexual men get tested at least annually, and more often for sexually active men.  MISTER recommends if you are sexually active with less than five sex partners a year you should test every six months, and if you have more than five different sex partners in a year you should be testing every three months.

AID Atlanta
AID Atlanta, located at 1605 Peachtree Street Northeast, offers free rapid testing Monday through Thursday from noon to 7 p.m. A variety of interesting programs are available through AID Atlanta, including One Night Stand, a monthly meeting at 7 p.m. where guys into “no strings attached” discuss various topics; Coffee Talk, sessions held in coffee hotspots and are focused on introducing men to AID Atlanta’s Gay Outreach; and Tongues United, an online chat group for participants who wish to maintain their confidentiality. For more information regarding AID Atlanta’s HIV Testing Program, please call 800-551-2728 or (404) 870-7775 or visit www.aidatlanta.org.

This year’s Atlanta Pride entertainment line-up is a tasty buffet of fabulous treats. The cherry on top; dance music queen Deborah Cox. This woman has been pumping out booty-shaking beat after booty-shaking beat for more than a decade. The last few years has seen her shift her focus to the theater, but don’t worry she still plans on making fab music. Miss Cox took a few minutes from recording to give the low-down on her diva-self.

Fenuxe: You do a lot of prides and other LGBT events and you have a ton of gay fans. Does your connection with the LGBT community go deeper than music?

Deborah: Well, music is deep, to me, ya know, so to have such a following in the gay community is flattering because I know that they are the trend setters and they are the ones who set the standard of what is hot. I love that the fans have been so loyal throughout the years.

Fenuxe: Have you been to Atlanta before?

Deborah: Oh yeah, many time! I have just never done pride, but have been to Atlanta for different club events and radio station events.

Fenuxe: What do you love most about our city?

Deborah: Every time I go there I remember my first album. I spent like a good three months in Atlanta recording with Dallas Austin when we did “Sentimental”, “My Radio” and songs from the first album. There were some really, really great times. I remember the Waffle House. (laughs)

Fenuxe: We love the Waffle House.

Deborah: (laughs) Yeah, we were just so young and just having so much fun. I remember the late, late nights in the studio. All I remember was there were too many damn Peachtrees. (laughs) It was very hard giving directions, but really good memories when I think about Atlanta.

Fenuxe: GPS makes it a lot easier now, just so you know.

Deborah: (laughs) Right exactly. (laughs)

Fenuxe: What do you think has lead to your longevity while others have fallen by the way side?

Deborah: I think the fact that I have never compromised my integrity or the style that I loved to do, which has been R&B, Pop, Dance, Jazz. I do what I feel. I do what I love. I do the songs that resonate to me. I really kind of stick to my guns when it comes to music. I think that is why I am still here. I perform a lot. I do a lot of live shows and I show love back to the audience. I really appreciate all the fans that I have an, ya know, I don’t ever take advantage.

Fenuxe: You’re slated to do “Josephine” on Broadway. Is doing theater something you always wanted to do? Or was it just something that appeared and you were like, “Cool, I’ll do it”?

Deborah: A little bit of both. I did musicals in high school and I went to a performing arts high school. It wasn’t foreign to me, the stage and doing musicals and stuff like that. It was just a matter of what the part was. But when I did Aida it was an opportunity, really of a lifetime, to step into the role like that and do a show with Elton and Tim Rice’s music was a dream. It was like a Godsend it was just perfect timing on many levels. I jumped at the opportunity. Once I heard murmuring of producers, Ken Waissman, wanting me to do the role of Josephine I was like, “I have to do this.” It gives me the opportunity to originate a role. As an artist that is the biggest compliment to set the standard of what this woman’s life is going to be. To have me as part of that process is really, really gratifying. I am really looking forward to the show.

Fenuxe: When does “Josephine” open?

Deborah: Spring 2012. It has been a long process. The whole Broadway thing has taught me so much, especially originating a role. There are a lot of moving parts. There are a lot of people involved. The set designers, the costume designers, the director. There is a lot of work in progress. It is never really done until you put it up on stage.

Fenuxe: Will the play cover all of Josephine Baker’s amazing life or just a small part?

Deborah: It tells the story of Josephine Baker during four years of her life when she was getting ready to join the French resistance, when she was having her steamy affair with the prince of Sweden. It really shows the arch of her need for love and her distaste for racism during her upbringing in St. Louis in the early 20s. We focus on her fight and her patriotism to France and her journey of love.

Fenuxe: Is the play a mix of music, dance and traditional theater or is it mostly singing and dancing?

Deborah: We tell the story through song, but there is a lot of drama. A lot of drama!

Fenuxe: Who are your co-stars in the play?

Deborah: This amazing actor, Broadway and theater actor, named Tristan Sturrock, who is out of London. He is the co-star, but I am not sure who else has been cast in the Broadway production.

Fenuxe: Does this mean you are shifting your focus away from studio work and more on theater?

Deborah: I hope to do it all. I hope to do both. I hope to continue to maintain what I do on CDs and in music and also do the show. As an artist I get really bored very quickly. (laughs) I like to keep it moving and like to do different things. I like to keep it interesting and I don’t like to do one genre. I am doing another Jazz album. Of course I am in the studio right now trying to finish up the R&B/Pop album. We have our dance single that is brewing as well.

Fenuxe: What are the dance singles?

Deborah: A couple singles actually. One I did with Tony Moran called “Tenderness” and another one called “If it Wasn’t for Love” with Mixin Marc. I think it has been the happiest I have ever been musically, artistically, in my life. I have so many platforms to do what I love to do. Ultimately it is singing. Whatever the style is, whatever the genre, whatever that entails I am the most happy.

Fenuxe: Since you get bored very easily does the possibility of a three year run on Broadway terrify you?

Deborah: You know it is funny because I have always said that if I were to go back on Broadway to do something long term it would have to be something I loved. And I have to love the music. In the case with Aida I loved the music. I loved being there every night singing those songs. It didn’t feel mundane. This role is the most challenging because it is dancing, it is acting, heavy intense acting, and singing. So, that is not going keep me bored at all. (laughs)

Fenuxe: Thank you for taking the time away from the studio. We look forward to your performance at pride.

Chardonnay Cheine d’Asti (aka John Ford):

This particular debutante comes from a long family vine of libation laden ladies from Italy.

Lotta Pusse’ (aka Tim Hobby):

This debutant is the only female born to one Monsieur et Madame Pierre Pusse’.

Jacqueline D’Bouvier VonSeco (aka JD Kellum):

This long time Atlanta lady is the love child of the Right Reverend Felonoious VonSeco and Lady Beatiric Bouvier VonSeco.

Gabriella Sofia “Sophie” Isabel (aka Jesse Rhodes):

Sophie was born to 2010 debutant Jessica Lynn Palmer after a torrid affair with Prince of Asturias, Alejandro Isabel.

Miss Sofia Santana “Gigi” de la Gorgonzola-Gonzolez (aka Ric Sosa):

This cheesey lady is the eldest of eight daughters and hails from Washington, D.C. Her father is Ricardo Alberto Gonzolez and her mother is Ana Paula Mozzarella.

McCray Iona “Mona” Fitzjohn (aka John W Weathers):

In the late 1990s Oprah conducted an experiment where she asked people to rank various ethnic groups labeled A, B, C and D. Three young children of different races were asked to put them in order of prominence. Each of them placed A at the top and their own group at the bottom. After doing so they all began to sob and then the adults in the room followed suit. The letter A denoted Caucasians.

This experiment got me wondering, on the eve of Black Gay Pride, if I were to conduct a similar experiment with the gay community would the results be the same. Would the LGBT community be more inclusive because of all the things we have been through (marriage, don’t ask, don’t tell, Eagle raid)? With that in mind one might deduce that we would proclaim ourselves as a single unity, a group where the biased is intolerable, segregation is emancipated and the love of helping each other is primordially unconditional regardless of race.

Instead of having them rank races I asked them to use one word to describe their thoughts on Black Gay Pride. A gay white male said “redundant”, a lesbian used “celebration,” a gay black male chose “energy.” Other words I got were: together, waste, unknown, party, and scary. Our thoughts are not as homogeneous as we think and racism is still a lingering issue that seems to be inextricable, even amongst our own society. We have not come far from when Oprah did her experiment.

After reviewing the results of the interviews, I couldn’t help but remember a moment with my college Professor Dr. Pinkney’s. I came into his office sobbing seeking solace after hearing negative racial connotations from a college professor the previous day. That other professor told me I was too Asian, that whatever I did with my other Asian friends needed to stay out of the classroom, and that I wouldn’t go far. Dr. Pinkney, who is black, raised his fist and looked me straight into my eyes and said, “You are Sam Peng. You are Pengism. You are who you are. You are unique because there is only one of you. You have to be proud, extremely proud of everything about you. No one can ever take it away from you. Don’t you dare forget that!” I stood there motionless, basking in the limelight of empowerment. It was immensely therapeutic; finally I knew who I was. And ten years later, even more so.

It doesn’t matter what race you are, you are in control of your destiny. There is nothing any person says or does that can alter the power you have instilled in you. This isn’t about race. It’s about equality, we are all the same. Whites don’t bleed white, blacks don’t bleed black, and Asians don’t bleed yellow.

What’s most important is we honor and celebrate our culture, heritage and future. Black Gay Pride is a wonderful opportunity for Atlanta to celebrate the culture of the African American LGBT community.

Comments email: pengperspective@yahoo.com

Rokk Vodka rolled out the blue carpet for the likes of Lance Bass, Carmen Carrera, the cast of Logo’s the A-List: New York as well as Romona Singer, Kelly Bensiomon and Alex McCord (and Simon of course) from Bravo’s the Real Housewives of NYC. For those of you who missed out, Rokk also provided the complimentary libations at last week’s Fenuxe Best of Atlanta party click here for a recap!

Shontelle closed out the evening with a special performance which kept the crowd dancing the night away. By all accounts the party was a smashing event.

Ingredients
- 1.5 fl oz SMIRNOFF Vanilla Flavored Vodka
- 1 fl oz Lemonade
- 0.75 fl oz Cherry Syrup
- 0.25 fl oz Lime
- 1 dash(s) Bitters
- 1 splash(s) Soda Water

Directions:

Mingle first 5 ingredients in an ice-filled shaker. Shake, shake, shake. Release drink through strainer into an ice-filled rocks glass. Top with soda water.

The idea: help underprivileged kids by shopping for a stylish (kid-friendly) backpack, fill it up with fabulous school supplies and drop it off at Piedmont Park on July 30th between 4-7pm during the Backpack in the Park community picnic. Once you leave the goods behind grab some free grub, play a couple of carnival games and dance to the beats of DJ Vicki Powell. If you can handle more fun, join the “After Party” at Joe’s on Juniper for $1 shots!

Last year’s event pulled in over 1,600 backpacks! This year they are hoping to top that number. For the Kid’s president, Chris Bess explains: “With each year of Backpack in the Park, the need gets greater – and this year we have raised the bar again. Our goal is to collect at least 1,800 backpacks.” Upon Completion of the party For the Kid distributes the bags to organizations like: AID Atlanta, Camp Horizon, CHRIS Kids, Cool Girls, Nicholas House, and many more!

For the Kid in All of Us started in 2003 as a group of friends looking to make a difference in their local community. Their main goal was to help the staggering amount of underprivileged kids in Georgia by raising awareness and to lessen the struggles of families during the holiday season.

Their first event was “The Toy Party” which was put on as an event where members of the LGBT community and our allies could come together to support a cause that would help children across the state. Over the years they have doled-out more than 31,500 toys and gift cards, 5,100 backpacks and raised over $450,000.00 to help Georgia’s less fortunate children.

If you don’t like shopping (gasp!) don’t worry you can still come to the party just make sure to bring a gift card worth more than $30 which can be used to buy school supplies (no, iTunes downloads are not school supplies). A complete list of needed supplies can be found at www.FortheKid.org. If you don’t have time to shop (again gasp!) check out www.chariteeheart.com/forthekid for pre-stuffed packs.

What are you waiting for? Grab your best guy friends, an iced mocha lava java and shop for a cause!

LGBT Connection is a new, Atlanta only, social networking site dedicated to connecting (in a plutonic way) gays and lesbians like no other gay-aimed site has before. Site creator Larry Levinson explains, “Facebook came out and they offer just friends, LinkedIn came out and they are offering just business acquaintances; why can’t we come up with something for the LGBT community that offers all of that… but is not a dating site. We need an LGBT community that has nothing to do with sexually explicit material.”

The overall goal for Levinson is to have a safe place for us gays and lesbians to go where we can meet people with common interests and not worry about being bombarded with naked pictures of people when we sign on. In fact, the site is monitored 24-hours a day to ensure all the images are PG which means we can sign in anywhere we want without fear of something X-rated popping up.

There are areas of the site where people can read blogs created by members. Users can also join a group with people who have similar interests or create one of their own. Levinson’s team is also working on a section of the website which will be a place for non-profits to promote their causes. Another area will feature job openings for gay-owned or gay-friendly employees.

LGBT Connection kicked-off with a party at Burkhart’s on July 9 and the site signed up over 300 people throughout the course of the night with another 100 people signing up the next day from home. Currently the site is only for people who live in the ATL. Once they reach 10,000 metro Atlanta users they plan on visiting pride celebrations across the country and the world.

When you’re finished checking out all the winners of Fenuxe’s Best of Atlanta go sign-up at www.lgbtconnection.com. Who knows, you might just find the friend of your dreams!!!