JUST
IN
TIME
for
back-to-school
season,
Atlanta’s
Black
Gay
Pride
is
ready
to
give
a
lesson
to
other
cities
about
how
to
party
and
empower.
“I
hope
folks
see
Atlanta
for
its
beauty
and
close-knit
community,”
says
Lisa
Cox,
head
of
the
party
promotion
group
Girls
in
the
Night.
“They
should
take
away
a
once-in-a-lifetime
experience,
and
know
that
it’s
not
the
same
as
other
prides.”
Girls
in
the
Night
is
one
of
almost
a
dozen
Atlanta
party
promoters
that
will
help
turn
Labor
Day
weekend
into
a
never-ending
party
in
celebration
of
Black
Gay
Pride,
whose
2008
theme
is
“Time
to
Act.”
Among
the
celebrities
heading
to
town
to
celebrate
Black
Gay
Pride
are
actresses
Sheryl
Lee
Ralph
and
Gabrielle
Union,
R&B
group
Danity
Kane,
singers
Chili
of
TLC
and
Tweet,
and
gay
porn
studs
Bobby
Blake
and
Alex
“Militia”
Castro
from
“American
Gladiators.”
Several
cast
members
from
the
upcoming
“Noah’s
Arc”
movie
will
also
be
in
town
Sept.
1
previewing
clips
of
arguably
the
most
anticipated
black
gay
film
ever.
SUCH
STAR
POWER
only
adds
to
the
electricity
across
Atlanta
during
Labor
Day
weekend,
when
attendance
at
several
gay
and
lesbian
parties
surges
well
into
the
thousands.
“We
really
try
to
give
a
variety
—
not
every
party
is
going
to
be
the
same,”
says
Megan
Leigh,
part
of
the
promotion
group
Traxx
Girls.
Traxx
Girls
events
range
from
intimate
affairs
like
a
performance
by
Tweet
and
Club
Endenu
Aug.
30,
or
its
“Big
Bang”
party
at
the
Georgia
Freight
Depot
that
same
night,
which
features
Danity
Kane
and
is
expected
to
attract
about
3,000
lesbians.
“Whether
it
be
a
theme
party,
or
a
fashion
show,
or
live
entertainment,
or
go-go
dancers,
we
just
try
to
offer
a
lot
of
different
options
for
the
ladies,”
Leigh
adds.
Jaw-dropping
crowds
are
also
expected
to
fill
clubs
like
Trademark,
Bulldog’s,
Traxx
and
Club
Europe.
The
Pure
Heat
series
of
parties
includes
the
Fire
&
Desire
Mini-Ball,
Code
Red
and
the
Aug.
30
Da
Big
Blaze,
which
expects
Danity
Kane
to
perform
again,
this
time
for
some
7,000
men.
Pure
Heat
also
includes
the
Soul
Food
Sunday
Brunch
and
a
comedy
night.
Club
Europe,
which
has
expanded
in
order
to
handle
the
5,000
people
expected
to
attend
the
Lion’s
Den
party
Aug.
31,
is
one
of
the
most
fulfilling
days
of
the
year
for
Gregory
Allen,
part
of
the
promotion
group
Xtreme
Entertainment,
which
produces
the
Lion’s
Den.
“People
look
forward
to
seeing
something
different
than
just
your
standard
party,”
Allen
says.
“It’s
just
a
great
party,
and
the
energy
is
always
good.”
This
year’s
Lion’s
Den
party
is
loaded
with
performances
by
former
American
Idol
finalist
Anwar
Robinson
and
singer
Truth
Hurts,
an
all-male
revue
led
by
Bobby
Blake,
and
a
fashion
show
where
designers
and
models
compete
for
prizes.
“It’s
really
just
about
trying
to
keep
it
exciting
each
year,”
Allen
says.
THE
LION’S
DEN
parties
are
a
longtime
reason
Atlanta
has
evolved
into
the
black
gay
party
capital
that
it
is
today,
and
now
Xtreme
Entertainment
is
hoping
the
city
can
also
become
a
capital
of
black
gay
consciousness.
Xtreme
Entertainment
is
partnering
with
In
the
Life
Atlanta,
the
non-profit
that
helps
organize
Black
Gay
Pride,
to
produce
the
second
annual
State
of
Black
Gay
America
summit
Aug.
30.
The
daytime
panel
includes
panel
discussions
on
topics
such
as
healthcare,
religion,
economics,
relationships
and
popular
culture.
“It
will
celebrate
our
accomplishments,
but
at
the
same
time
it
deals
with
challenges
and
issues
that
impact
us,”
Allen
says.
The
summit
will
also
have
heavy
political
undertones
as
the
presidential
election
heads
into
its
final
months.
“What
we
really
wanted
to
impress
upon
our
guests
and
visitors
is
with
it
being
a
historical
election
year,
we
really
want
people
to
move
from
dialogue
to
action,”
says
Anaré
Holmes,
secretary
of
the
ITLA
board
of
directors.
“Of
course,
people
highlight
the
party
aspect
of
what
goes
on
here
[during
Black
Gay
Pride],"
Holmes
says.
"But
there
are
a
lot
of
things
that
are
going
on
dealing
with
empowerment
and
community
upliftment,
and
things
like
that.”
ITLA
is
conducting
extensive
voter
registration
outreach
throughout
Pride
weekend,
and
is
hosting
a
mock
election
in
its
marketplace
at
the
host
hotel,
the
new
W
Midtown.
The
group
also
suspended
its
“Stand
Up
&
Represent”
march
that
took
place
every
Labor
Day
for
the
past
decade
because
ITLA
wanted
to
focus
on
supporting
the
State
of
Black
Gay
America
summit,
Holmes
said.
Only
a
couple
dozen
people
attended
the
inaugural
State
of
Black
Gay
America
summit
in
2007,
but
organizers
said
they
are
...
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