An Atlanta LGBTQ+ History Project
& Wussy Mag Podcast
ODS S1:E7 Monica Helms
Out Down South Podcast
S1:E7: Monica Helms
Creator of the Trans Pride Flag & Co-Founder of Transgender Americans Veterans Association (TAVA)
The first season of Out Down South will showcase the stories of 10 LGBTQ+ Atlantans, told in their own words.
This episode features Monica Helms is a transgender activist, veteran, and creator of the trans pride flag. Monica served as a nuclear submarine Machinist Mate in the U.S. Navy and later helped found the Transgender Americans Veterans Association (TAVA). In 2004, she was selected as Georgia’s first transgender delegate to the Democratic National Convention. Monica created the trans flag in 1999. Her simple, powerful design has become a worldwide symbol of belonging for millions of trans people. The original flag is in the collection of the Smithsonian National Museum.
Out Down South is brought to you by the Atlanta LGBTQ+ History Project and is part of the WUSSY Podcast Network.
Show Notes:
Out Down South is brought to you by the Atlanta LGBTQ+ History Project and part of the WUSSY Podcast Network.
Hosted by Rachel Garbus (@goodgraciousrachel)
Produced by Jon Dean (@jondeanphoto), Rachel Garbus (@goodgraciousrachel), and Sam Landis (@iam_samlandis).
Episode 7 was edited by Jonathan Thomas Maiocco (@jonathanthomasmaiocco)
Our Original Podcast Theme Music was created by our sound designer, Jonathan Thomas Maiocco (@jonathanthomasmaiocco)
Podcast graphics created by Sam Landis (@iam_samlandis)
Photographer: Robin Rayne. Monica Helms is pictured in her home workshop in Marietta.
ODS S1:E6 Sam Park
Out Down South Podcast
S1:E6: Sam Park
Georgia’s First Openly Gay State Representative
The first season of Out Down South will showcase the stories of 10 LGBTQ+ Atlantans, told in their own words.
Out Down South is brought to you by the Atlanta LGBTQ+ History Project and is part of the WUSSY Podcast Network.
Show Notes:
Out Down South is brought to you by the Atlanta LGBTQ+ History Project and part of the WUSSY Podcast Network.
Hosted by Rachel Garbus (@goodgraciousrachel)
Produced by Jon Dean (@jondeanphoto), Rachel Garbus (@goodgraciousrachel), and Sam Landis (@iam_samlandis).
Episode 6 was edited by Jonathan Thomas Maiocco (@jonathanthomasmaiocco)
Our Original Podcast Theme Music was created by our sound designer, Jonathan Thomas Maiocco (@jonathanthomasmaiocco)
Podcast graphics created by Sam Landis (@iam_samlandis)
Photographer: Kenedee Hodges. Sam Park is pictured on the grounds of the Georgia State Capitol building in Atlanta.
ODS S1:E5 Mary Anne Adams
Out Down South Podcast
S1:E5: Mary Anne Adams
Founder & Executive Director, ZAMI NOBLA
The first season of Out Down South will showcase the stories of 10 LGBTQ+ Atlantans, told in their own words.
In this episode, we feature Mary Anne Adams, a lifelong activist and organizer, a brilliant academic, and a beloved member of the Atlanta lesbian community. Mary Anne is the Founder and Executive Director of ZAMI NOBLA, the National Organization of Black Lesbians on Aging, which provides resources to aid the coming-of-age process for Black lesbians over the age of 40.
She founded the Audre Lorde Scholarship Fund, which awards funding to LGBTQ scholars of color. A sixteen-year breast cancer survivor, Mary Anne is an advisory board member at Emory University Winship Cancer Institute. She serves on the Atlanta Mayor’s LGBTQ Advisory Board, and the Wharton Lab RISE Advisory Board, and is a Commissioner and Board Chair of the East Point Housing Authority. A social worker and public health researcher, Mary Anne has also led research and published scholarly articles on the health and care of older Black lesbians.
South, our project did not record this oral history interview with Mary Anne Adams. This interview was recorded in 2015 as part of the Southern Lesbian Feminist Activist Herstory Project, which collects oral histories and written life stories from lesbian feminists across the Southeast. The Southern Lesbian Feminist Activist Herstory Project has an amazing archive of interviews, stories, and resources about Southern lesbian and feminist history: to learn more and explore their archive, head to slfaherstoryproject.org. We’re very grateful to them for sharing their collection with us.
Mary Anne Adams was interviewed for this oral history by Lorraine Fontana, who’s one of our Honored Subjects in the Atlanta LGBTQ+ History Project, as well as an amazing lesbian, feminist, and activist in her own right.
Out Down South is brought to you by the Atlanta LGBTQ+ History Project and is part of the WUSSY Podcast Network.
Show Notes:
Out Down South is brought to you by the Atlanta LGBTQ+ History Project and part of the WUSSY Podcast Network.
Hosted by Rachel Garbus (@goodgraciousrachel)
Produced by Jon Dean (@jondeanphoto), Rachel Garbus (@goodgraciousrachel), and Sam Landis (@iam_samlandis).
Episode 5 was edited by Jonathan Thomas Maiocco (@jonathanthomasmaiocco)
Our Original Podcast Theme Music was created by our sound designer, Jonathan Thomas Maiocco (@jonathanthomasmaiocco)
Podcast graphics created by Sam Landis (@iam_samlandis)
Photographed by Marilyn Ocasio Nieves.
Mary Anne Adams is pictured in her home in East Point.
ODS S1:E4 Joshua Lesser
Out Down South Podcast
S1:E4: Joshua Lesser
Founder of SOJOURN & Rabbi Emeritus, Bet Haverim
The first season of Out Down South will showcase the stories of 10 LGBTQ+ Atlantans, told in their own words.
In this episode, we hear from Rabbi Joshua Lesser, an LGBTQ+ activist and rabbi emeritus at Congregation Bet Haverim, a Reconstructionist synagogue founded by Jewish LGBTQ+ Atlantans that welcomes all Jews and their loved ones. Joshua created SOJOURN, the Southern Jewish Resource Network for Gender & Sexual Diversity, and co-edited Torah Queeries, a weekly Torah commentary with an LGBTQ+ lens. Leading at the intersection of justice and spirituality, he is passionate about incorporating Jewish contemplative practice with a commitment to civil and human rights.
Show Notes:
Out Down South is brought to you by the Atlanta LGBTQ+ History Project and part of the WUSSY Podcast Network.
Hosted by Rachel Garbus (@goodgraciousrachel) and Sam Landis (@iam_samlandis).
Produced by Jon Dean (@jondeanphoto), Rachel Garbus (@goodgraciousrachel), and Sam Landis (@iam_samlandis).
Episode 4 was edited by Rachel Garbus (@goodgraciousrachel)
Podcast graphics created by Sam Landis (@iam_samlandis)
Podcast Music Information:
Intro Song: “Break the Mould” by Jack Pierce
Supplemental Music from Audio Jungle
ODS S1:E3 Kim Jackson
Out Down South Podcast
S1:E3 Kim Jackson
Georgia’s first openly LGBTQ+ State Senator
The first season of Out Down South will showcase the stories of 10 LGBTQ+ Atlantans, told in their own words.
In this episode, we hear from Kim Jackson, Georgia’s first openly LGBTQ+ state senator. She represents the Stone Mountain area in the Georgia General Assembly. Kim is also an ordained Episcopal priest; she serves as vicar of the Church of the Common Ground, which ministers to unhoused Atlantans outside Central Presbyterian Church, in the shadow of the capitol building’s gold dome. As a state senator, Kim has championed legislation that improves the lives of Georgia’s most vulnerable communities and has been outspoken against laws cruelly targeting LGBTQ+ youth.
Show Notes:
Out Down South is brought to you by the Atlanta LGBTQ+ History Project and part of the WUSSY Podcast Network.
Hosted by Rachel Garbus (@goodgraciousrachel) and Sam Landis (@iam_samlandis).
Produced by Jon Dean (@jondeanphoto), Rachel Garbus (@goodgraciousrachel), and Sam Landis (@iam_samlandis).
Episode 3 is edited by Rachel Garbus (@goodgraciousrachel)
Podcast graphics created by Sam Landis (@iam_samlandis)
Podcast Music Information:
Intro Song: “Break the Mould” by Jack Pierce
Supplemental Music from Audio Jungle
ODS S1:E2 Grant Henry
Out Down South Podcast
S1:E1: Grant Henry
Owner and Resident Artist at Sister Louisa's Church of the Living Room & Ping Pong Emporium
The first season of Out Down South will showcase the stories of 10 LGBTQ+ Atlantans, told in their own words.
In this episode, we listen to the oral history Rachel recorded with Grant Henry. As the proprietor of “Church,” Grant Henry welcomes people of all identities to this beloved fixture of Atlanta nightlife. With locations in Atlanta and Athens, Georgia, Grant’s bar features whimsical, irreverent art and events like organ karaoke and Sunday Service dance parties. Sister Louisa is Grant’s artistic persona, reflecting stops in his life journey – divinity school, the world of art, and community host
Show Notes:
Out Down South is brought to you by the Atlanta LGBTQ+ History Project and part of the WUSSY Podcast Network.
Hosted by Rachel Garbus (@goodgraciousrachel) and Sam Landis (@iam_samlandis).
Produced by Jon Dean (@jondeanphoto), Rachel Garbus (@goodgraciousrachel), and Sam Landis (@iam_samlandis).
Episode 2 edited by Rachel Garbus (@goodgraciousrachel)
Podcast graphics created by Sam Landis (@iam_samlandis)
Podcast Music Information:
Intro Song: “Break the Mould” by Jack Pierce
Supplemental Music from Audio Jungle
ODS S1:E1 Dee Dee Chamblee
Out Down South Podcast
S1:E1: Dee Dee Chamblee
Trans & HIV/AIDS Activist, Founder of LaGender Inc.
The first season of Out Down South will showcase the stories of 10 LGBTQ+ Atlantans, told in their own words.
In this episode we listen to the oral history Rachel recorded with Ms. Dee Dee Chamblee. Ms. Chamblee is the executive director and founder of LaGender Inc., a non-profit organization, led by Black trans women, dedicated to the support of transgender women of color in the metro Atlanta area.
Dee Dee founded LaGender in 2001 to address the unique needs of the transgender community surrounding issues such as HIV/AIDS, homelessness, incarceration, mental health wellness, discrimination and hate crime violence. She’s a true survivor, having lived with HIV since 1987, and she is a tireless advocate for the trans community here in Atlanta and beyond.
In 2011, to honor her work, then-President Obama named DeeDee a Champion of Change during a 30th anniversary commemoration of the beginning of the HIV/AIDS crisis. She was the first Black trans woman to be honored at the White House.
Show Notes:
Out Down South is brought to you by the Atlanta LGBTQ+ History Project and part of the WUSSY Podcast Network.
Hosted by Rachel Garbus (@goodgraciousrachel) and Sam Landis (@iam_samlandis).
Produced by Jon Dean (@jondeanphoto), Rachel Garbus (@goodgraciousrachel), and Sam Landis (@iam_samlandis).
Episode 1 edited by Kacie Willis
Podcast graphics created by Sam Landis (@iam_samlandis)
Podcast Music Information:
Intro Song: “Break the Mould” by Jack Pierce
Supplemental Music from Audio Jungle
Out Down South Podcast: Teaser
Out Down South: Teaser
The first season of Out Down South will showcase the stories of 10 LGBTQ+ Atlantans, told in their own words.
Main Summary:
LGBTQ+ history isn’t just made in New York and San Francisco - it’s happening in big cities and small towns around the world. Here in the South, we have our own unique stories of resilience, courage, and transformation. With each episode of the Out Down South Podcast we are going to dive into an oral history interview with a different southern LGBTQ+ history-maker.
The first season of Out Down South will showcase the stories of 10 LGBTQ+ Atlantans, told in their own words.
Show Notes:
In the teaser you’ll hear clips from future episodes featuring:
Dee Chamblee, the executive director and founder of La Gender Inc., a non-profit organization, led by Black trans women, dedicated to the support of transgender women of color in the metro Atlanta area. She was the first Black trans woman to be honored at the White House, by then-President Obama, as a Champion of Change.
Julie Rhoad, the former Executive Director of the Names Project and AIDS Memorial Quilt.
Reverend Kim Jackson, Georgia’s first out queer State Senator.
Out Down South is brought to you by the Atlanta LGBTQ+ History Project and part of the WUSSY Podcast Network.
Hosted by Rachel Garbus (@goodgraciousrachel) and Sam Landis (@iam_samlandis).
Produced by Jon Dean (@jondeanphoto), Rachel Garbus (@goodgraciousrachel), and Sam Landis (@iam_samlandis).
Teaser edited by Rachel Garbus (@goodgraciousrachel)
Podcast graphics created by Sam Landis (@iam_samlandis)
Podcast Music Information:
Intro Song: “Break the Mould” by Jack Pierce
Supplemental Music from Audio Jungle