Press Releases

October 2022:
Atlanta LBGTQ+ History Project Launches Inaugural “Out Down South” Exhibit

Interactive experience profiles notable LGBTQ+ Atlantans through striking portraits and detailed audio interviews; free opening celebration Oct. 26

ATLANTA (October 4, 2022) — The Atlanta LGBTQ+ History Project (Project) today unveiled its first exhibit, “Out Down South”, marking the beginning of Atlanta’s October Pride celebration. Through in-depth audio interviews and powerful photography, the interactive exhibit profiles 12 LGBTQ+ Atlantans who have profoundly shaped the city’s cultural, political, and creative landscape.  

 “Out Down South” will display at The National Center for Civil and Human Rights (The Center) through December 2023. The Project will host a free opening celebration on October 26, 7 p.m. at The Center. RSVP at civilandhumanrights.org. 

 Striking large-scale portraits of the subjects, each captured by a different Atlanta-based queer photographer, acknowledges the depth of Atlanta’s LGBTQ+ creative community. Through a QR code beside each portrait, visitors can hear a story from a subject’s oral history interview. Complete interviews are available on the Project’s “Out Down South” podcast.  

 “We hope to create deep exchanges between listeners and subjects by sharing the stories of trailblazing activists and leaders fighting for equality today, ”said Project co-founder and exhibit co-creator Sam Landis. “From politicians to performers, spiritual leaders to business owners, these luminaries have helped make Atlanta a city where LGBTQ+ people are welcome and loved, and an epicenter of the South’s contribution to the national movement.”  

Luminaries include: 

  • Mary Anne Adams - Founder & Executive Director, ZAMI NOBLA 

  • Charlie Brown - Atlanta Drag Performer & Creator of Charlie Brown’s Cabaret 

  • Dee Dee Chamblee - Founder & Executive Director at La Gender, Inc. 

  • Lorraine Fontana - Co-Founder of Atlanta Lesbian Feminist Alliance (ALFA) 

  • Monica Helms - Creator of the Trans Pride Flag & Co-Founder of Transgender Americans Veterans Association (TAVA) 

  • Grant Henry - Owner and Resident Artist at Sister Louisa’s Church of the Living Room & Ping Pong Emporium 

  • Sen. Kim Jackson - First openly LGBTQ+ Georgia State Senator, Senate District 41 & Episcopal Priest 

  • Jen Maguire - Co-Owner, My Sister’s Room 

  • Rabbi Joshua Lesser - Founder of SOJOURN & Rabbi Emeritus, Bet Haverim 

  • Lena Lust (She/Her) (Leonard West) - Atlanta Drag Performer 

  • Rep. Sam Park - First openly gay and Asian American Georgia State Representative, House District 101 

  • Julie Rhoad - Former President and CEO, The NAMES Project & AIDS Memorial Quilt 

This exhibit includes oral histories from Georgia State University Library’s Gender & Sexuality Archives, The Sallie Bingham Center for Women’s History & Culture at Duke University, and The Southern Lesbian Feminist Activist Herstory Project.  

Subjects were photographed by Jody Fausett, Robin Rayne, Larue Calliet, Kenedee Hodges, Jarrett Heatherly, Marilyn Ocasio Nieves, Just Toby, Alex Pirtle, Karen Shacham, Aurie Singletary, and Jamie Hopper.  

The exhibition was made possible due to generous gifts from Alice Roll & The Roll Family Foundation, Will Szal & Kyra Kristof, and Curt Stamp.  

All aural materials will be donated to Georgia State University Special Collections, to be archived within the university’s extensive LGBTQ+ history collection. 

—

About the LGBTQ+ History Project

The Atlanta LGBTQ+ History Project is a collaborative, multimedia exhibit and archival collection, celebrating and preserving the stories of courageous LGBTQ+ Atlantans who changed the landscape of this city’s life and culture. Religious leaders, politicians, activists, artists, and business owners share stories in their own voices, reflecting on their lives, legacies, and the city they helped create. A collaboration between Wussy Mag, the LGBTQ+ Center at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, and Georgia State University Library Special Collections & Archives, the Atlanta LGBTQ+ History Project includes oral history, photography, and other archival material, shared with the community via digital and live exhibits, the Out Down South podcast, and a panel series on the preservation of LGBTQ+ history throughout the Southeast, featuring local scholars, activists, and artists. 

For more information about the Atlanta LGBTQ+ History Project, visit our website at atlantalgbtqhistoryproject.org. Follows us on social - Facebook @AtlLGBTQHisProj; Twitter @AtlLGBTQHisProj; Instagram @atllgbtqhisproj; and LinkedIn linkedin.com/company/atlanta-lgbtq-history-project. 

General donations can be made here. For sponsorship opportunities or other inquiries, please contact project directors here. 

Press & media inquiries:

Atlanta LGBTQ+ History Project
hello@atlantalgbtqhistoryproject.org

Samuel Landis
Co-Founder, Atlanta LGBTQ+ History Project
hello@samlandis.com
205.410.2526

Rachel Garbus
Co-Founder, Atlanta LGBTQ+ History Project
rachel.garbus@gmail.com
413.320.5650

June 2022:
LBGTQ+ History Project Launches “Out Down South” Podcast

The bi-weekly series kicks off during the final week of Pride 2022, hosting a live performance fundraiser on June 24, 8 p.m. at Out Front Theatre

ATLANTA (June 24, 2022) — The LGBTQ+ History Project (Project) will launch its podcast “Out Down South” the last week of Pride 2022. The nonprofit is celebrating the podcast’s release at a festive performance fundraiser on June 24 at Out Front Theatre. Tickets ranging from $15 - $25 can be purchased at outfronttheatre.com (LINK). Performance details follow below.

Project founding partner WUSSY Mag, a queer culture magazine with a Southeast lens, co-produced the podcast. Season 1 episodes will air bi-weekly on numerous platforms such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Stitcher as well as www.atlantalgbtqhistoryproject.org.

Hosted by Project co-founders Sam Landis and Rachel Garbus, episodes feature interviews and stories from a diverse array of activists, artists, and leaders drawn from the LGBTQ+ History Project’s oral histories archive of Atlantan and regional voices. Upcoming guests include:

· Dee Dee Chamblee - longtime activist for transgender issues and founder of LaGender, Inc. an Atlanta-based nonprofit that empowers transgender women of color · Grant Henry aka Sister Louisa – artist, businessperson, and proprietor of Sister Louisa's Church of the Living Room and Ping Pong Emporium, a popular Atlanta bar and gallery space.

· Jen Maguire – owner of My Sister’s Room, a venerable lesbian bar in East Atlanta

· Monica Helms – transgender advocate, Navy veteran, and creator of the transgender flag

· Rabbi Joshua Lesser – Rabbi Emeritus at Congregation Bet Haverim, founder of the Southern Jewish Resource Network for Gender and Sexual Diversity, cofounder of the Faith Alliance of Metro Atlanta, and former chair of the City of Atlanta’s Human Relations Commission.

· Julie Rhoad – former President and CEO of The NAMES Project Foundation, caretaker of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, and currently a Senior Director at MASS Design Group where she manages philanthropic strategic programming and relationships including the Emmett Till Foundation, the Rosenwald Schools Initiative, and the Gun Violence Memorial Project.

“Out Down South” is critical to our mission to highlight a diverse array of honored queer Atlantans who put Atlanta on the queer cultural map and created the thriving communities we love today,” said Landis. “We hope to inspire listeners to join and support our work to gather the South’s rich queer history to share with today’s audiences, and preserve for generations to come.”

The Project plans future digital and physical exhibits and events for its archive of oral histories, photographs, and other archival material from LGBTQ+ Atlantans who have reshaped the city’s identity as an epicenter of LGBTQ+ life and culture in the Southeast. Honored subjects include politicians, activists, artists, religious leaders, and business owners. All materials will be donated to Georgia State University Special Collections, to be archived within the university’s extensive LGBTQ+ history collection.

“As Pride 2022 closes we must continue to share our beautiful history to prevent new voices from being silenced against a rising movement of state-sponsored hatred and bigotry. We hope our podcast will spur other Atlantans and southerners to share their stories.”

The Out Down South showcase features an all-queer roster of Atlanta talent, including storytellers, celebrated drag performers and comedians, and burlesque performers from Metropolitan Studios, an East Atlanta Village-based arts community home to The Candybox Burlesque Revue and the Atlanta School of Burlesque. The event is hosted by SZN Alxndr, drag performer from the House of Alxndr.

—

About the LGBTQ+ History Project

The Atlanta LGBTQ+ History Project is a collaborative, multimedia exhibit and archival collection, celebrating and preserving the stories of courageous LGBTQ+ Atlantans who changed the landscape of this city’s life and culture. Religious leaders, politicians, activists, artists, and business owners share stories in their own voices, reflecting on their lives, legacies, and the city they helped create. A collaboration between Wussy Mag and the LGBTQ+ Center at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, the Atlanta LGBTQ+ History Project includes oral history, photography, and other archival material, shared with the community via digital and live exhibits, the Out Down South podcast, and a panel series on the preservation of LGBTQ+ history throughout the Southeast, featuring local scholars, activists, and artists.

For more information about the Atlanta LGBTQ+ History Project, visit our website at atlantalgbtqhistoryproject.org. Follows us on social - Facebook @AtlLGBTQHisProj; Twitter @AtlLGBTQHisProj; Instagram @atllgbtqhisproj; and LinkedIn linkedin.com/company/atlanta-lgbtq-history-project.

General donations can be made here.
For sponsorship opportunities or other inquiries, please contact project directors, whose contact information is below.

Press & media inquiries:

Atlanta LGBTQ+ History Project
hello@atlantalgbtqhistoryproject.org

Samuel Landis
Co-Founder, Atlanta LGBTQ+ History Project
hello@samlandis.com
205.410.2526

Rachel Garbus
Co-Founder, Atlanta LGBTQ+ History Project
rachel.garbus@gmail.com
413.320.5650

November 2021:
Wussy Mag and LGBTQ Institute Launch Multimedia Atlanta LGBTQ+ History Project


Programming begins November 17 with a virtual panel exploring Trans Awareness Week

(Atlanta, Ga.) Wussy Mag and its collaborators are proud to announce the Atlanta LGBTQ+ History Project, a multimedia exhibit and archival collection celebrating the lives of notable LGBTQ+ Atlantans past and present. The project will include a visual and oral history audio installation, digital exhibit, podcast, and panel series. Wussy Mag, a queer culture magazine with a Southeast lens, collaborated with the LGBTQ Institute at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, and Imago Dei, the LGBTQ+ campus group at Columbia Theological Seminary. 

The project gathers oral histories, photographs, and other archival material from LGBTQ+ Atlantans who have reshaped the city’s identity as an epicenter of LGBTQ+ life and culture in the Southeast. Honored subjects include politicians, activists, artists, religious leaders, and business owners. All materials will be donated to Georgia State University Special Collections, to be archived within the university’s extensive LGBTQ+ history collection. 

“Since coming out, and moving to Atlanta, I have dreamed about an opportunity to share our narrative of LGBTQ resilience in the South,” said project co-founder Sam Landis. “So often LGBTQ history focuses on San Francisco and New York, overshadowing the stories of ground-breakers in other parts of the country and world. My hope for this project is to tell these incredible stories and build a robust archive for future generations.”

The public is invited to join the Atlanta LGBTQ+ History Project’s official launch, November 17, for a virtual panel celebrating Trans Awareness Week. We Are Everywhere, Y'all: A Conversation About Preserving Trans Histories in ATL is the first in a series of conversations among activists, researchers, archivists, and artists on preserving the history of LGBTQ+ life in the South. The inaugural panel will explore the history and activism of Transgender communities in the Southeast. Panelists include Professor Kadji Amin of Emory University, DeeDee Chamblee of LaGender Inc, and archivist Morna Gerrard of Georgia State University’s Special Collections. The Project will also premiere its new podcast, Out Down South. 

“Through its rich history of early pride marches, legendary drag culture, powerful activism, and socially progressive business climate, Atlanta has helped shape the LGBTQ+ landscape in which we thrive today,” said Rachel Garbus, Wussy Mag culture editor and project co-founder. “We’re thrilled to partner with these organizations to preserve the amazing stories of LGBTQ+ life in Atlanta.”

The Atlanta LGBTQ+ History Project is fundraising to support its work, including sponsorships for the podcast, website, and exhibit materials. The project is grateful for seed funding from Columbia Theological Seminary and Will Szal & Kyra Kristof.

For more information, and to register for the virtual panel on November 17th, please visit the Atlanta LGBTQ+ History Project website. 

General donations can be made here. For sponsorship opportunities or other inquiries, please contact project directors here.


Samuel Landis
Co-Founder, Atlanta LGBTQ+ History Project
hello@samlandis.com
205.410.2526

Rachel Garbus 
Co-Founder, Atlanta LGBTQ+ History Project
rachel.garbus@gmail.com
413.320.5650

Rachael Ward 
Co-Founder, Atlanta LGBTQ+ History Project
rachaelmegward@gmail.com
229.400.1334