David Magazine v9_i41 | Happy Pride Atlanta 2025

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Finding AuthenticYourSelf

The GBTQ+ Men’s Retreat Experience in Atlanta

By Cator Sparks, Life Coach

In a world that often demands we hide parts of ourselves, finding spaces for genuine connection and personal growth can feel impossible. The GBTQ+ Men’s Retreat offers something rare: a sanctuary where gay, bi, trans, and queer men can embrace their authentic selves while building meaningful community bonds.

Hosted by certified life coach Cator Sparks with breathwork facilitation by Ron Grey, this intimate retreat welcomes just eight participants into a space steeped in queer history. The setting itself tells a story of resilience and love—a charming 1899 gardener’s cottage in Atlanta’s Midtown that has nurtured the LGBTQ+ community for decades, from hosting AIDS charity events in the 1980s to serving as a loving home for gay couples who restored its gardens.

A Different Kind of Transformation

This isn’t your typical retreat experience. Participants can expect morning yoga and movement sessions, chef-prepared meals, and evening fireside connections. The focus remains clear: no sex, no drugs, no alcohol—just pure connection to yourself and others through meaningful circle work and proven somatic healing practices.

What sets this retreat apart is its practical approach to common concerns. Instead of stressing about shared accommodations, participants can choose their own lodging— from luxury hotels to cozy Airbnbs. The location eliminates travel headaches, too, as it sits just twenty minutes from Atlanta’s

airport with numerous accommodation options nearby.

Your Invitation to Healing

Beyond the logistics lies something deeper: an opportunity to develop emotional and social life skills while surrounded by men who understand your journey. Participants leave with tangible tools for living more intentionally and authentically, as well as connections that often last long after the weekend.

For those ready to invest in their personal growth while celebrating their identity within the community, the GBTQ+ Men’s Retreat offers both sanctuary and transformation. Sometimes the most radical act is simply showing up as yourself—and being witnessed with love.

When: March 20-22, 2026

Where: Private Residence in Atlanta

More info: GBTQRetreats.com or email cator@catorsparks.com

Ready to begin? Early bird pricing is available this month with code QUEERJOY2026.

Bobby Newberry Opens his heart

Edited by Mikkel Hyldebrandt

Bobby Newberry has always known how to serve a moment— whether he’s choreographing for icons like Eminem, Nicki Minaj, The Pussycat Dolls, and Missy Elliot, or lighting up his own music videos with infectious energy and style. But with his latest single Feelin’, the multi-talented artist is stepping into a more intimate spotlight, offering fans his most personal work yet.

Dedicated to his late husband TJ, Feelin’ is “a radiant new single inspired by the memory of his late husband,” and it radiates everything their love embodied: joy, warmth, and an irresistible sense of lightness.

“I wrote this song when TJ and I were in Capri on my favorite trip we ever took together,” Newberry shares. “The opening

line says, you feel like Capri summer and breezy. It’s about that childlike, carefree happiness you get when you’re with someone who brings out the best in you. For me, it was about us, but I think everyone can relate to it, whether it’s a partner, a friendship, or a moment in life that makes you feel that way.”

Newberry took two years away from music to care for TJ, who sadly passed away after his battle with cancer. This song marks both a tribute and a return. “He was the most beautiful, selfless person on the planet,” Newberry says.

“Watching him go through that consumed everything. Nothing else mattered. But I know he would want me to release music again. This song is for him, and for everyone who’s ever felt that kind of love.”

Known for high-energy bangers like those on his 2023 debut album Dopamine Rollercoaster, Newberry takes a softer, more emotional turn here. “Unlike the harder-edged tracks on Dopamine Rollercoaster, Feelin’ is all about lightness and escape,” he explains. “This one just feels like love and light to me. It makes me smile when

I listen to it and remember moments with TJ. The world needs more of that joy right now.”

And joy is exactly what Feelin’ delivers. Alongside the single, Newberry dropped an a cappella version, showing off the lush layers of his vocals. “I’ve never done that before, but I wanted people to hear the depth of the background vocals,” he says. “There are literally hundreds of layers. My favorite part is the last minute, when it all builds like my own choir or boy group.”

Visually, Newberry continues to flex his creative direction, collaborating with Eddie and Micky on a lyric video and a series of striking vignettes that expand the emotional world of the track. It’s playful, intimate, and totally Newberry.

But above all, Feelin’ is a celebration. “I hope people listen to it in the car, with the windows down, and just smile,” says Newberry. “I hope they dance to it, sing to it, and connect it to whoever gives them that feeling in their own lives.”

With Feelin’, Bobby Newberry is reminding us all that love leaves a legacy—and sometimes, the most powerful dance track is the one that makes you feel seen, lifted, and connected.

Feelin’ is available now on all streaming platforms.

Follow Bobby on Instagram @bobbynewberry.

BIKTARVY® is the #1 prescribed* HIV treatment for 6 years.

Source: IQVIA LAAD, July 2018 through July 2024.*

People featured are compensated by Gilead.

IMPORTANT FACTS FOR BIKTARVY®

This is only a brief summary of important information about BIKTARVY® and does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your condition and your treatment.

(bik-TAR-vee)

MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT BIKTARVY

BIKTARVY may cause serious side e ects, including:

Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. Your healthcare provider will test you for HBV. If you have both HIV-1 and HBV, your HBV may suddenly get worse if you stop taking BIKTARVY. Do not stop taking BIKTARVY without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months, and may give you HBV medicine.

ABOUT BIKTARVY

BIKTARVY is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in adults and children who weigh at least 55 pounds. It can either be used in people who have never taken HIV-1 medicines before, or people who are replacing their current HIV-1 medicines and whose healthcare provider determines they meet certain requirements.

BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. HIV-1 is the virus that causes AIDS.

Do NOT take BIKTARVY if you also take a medicine that contains:

 dofetilide

 rifampin

 any other medicines to treat HIV-1

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF BIKTARVY

BIKTARVY may cause serious side e ects, including:

 Those in the “Most Important Information About BIKTARVY” section.

 Changes in your immune system. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections that may have been hidden in your body. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new symptoms after you start taking BIKTARVY.

Please see Important Facts about BIKTARVY, including important warnings, on the previous page and at BIKTARVY.com. 

 Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys. If you develop new or worse kidney problems, they may tell you to stop taking BIKTARVY.

 Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat.

 Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain.

 The most common side e ects of BIKTARVY in clinical studies were diarrhea (6%), nausea (6%), and headache (5%).

These are not all the possible side e ects of BIKTARVY. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking BIKTARVY.

You are encouraged to report negative side e ects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Continued on next page.

Real Stories. Real Voices.

Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with BIKTARVY.

BEFORE TAKING BIKTARVY

Tell your healthcare provider if you:

 Have or have had any kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis infection.

 Have any other health problems.

 Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking BIKTARVY.

 Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Talk to your healthcare provider about the risks of

Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-the-counter medicines, antacids, laxatives, vitamins, and herbal

IMPORTANT FACTS FOR BIKTARVY® (cont’d)

supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist.

 BIKTARVY and other medicines may a ect each other. Ask your healthcare provider and pharmacist about medicines that interact with BIKTARVY, and ask if it is safe to take BIKTARVY with all your other medicines.

HOW TO TAKE BIKTARVY

Take BIKTARVY 1 time each day with or without food.

GET MORE INFORMATION

 This is only a brief summary of important information about breastfeeding during treatment with BIKTARVY.

BIKTARVY. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more.

 Go to BIKTARVY.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5.

 If you need help paying for your medicine, visit BIKTARVY.com for program information.

The 2025 Atlanta Guide to all things PRIDE

My Atlanta Pride Weekend Lineup

Thursday, October 9

The Warmup

By Mikkel Hyldebrandt, Editor-in-Chief of David Magazine

Atlanta Pride is here—and I honestly wish I could clone myself to be everywhere at once. The city is about to explode with color, music, and community, and the lineup is nothing short of amazing. From wild nightlife to daytime celebrations and everything in between, there’s so much I want to do (and plenty I’ll definitely be at). Below is my personal list of can’t-miss events—some I’ll see you at in person, and others I just have to shout out because they’re too good to skip.

Saturday, October 11

Festival & Nightlife

Piedmont Park Festival

The Mayor’s Annual Pride Reception

This recognition by the city of Atlanta means a lot to the community, and it is always a good time!

7 – 9 PM at City Hall (invitation only)

Pride 25’ Kickoff with iCharlie

DJ iCharlie is back for Pride and is ready to fire up those Pride engines and get you amped up for a rainbow-colored weekend.

10 PM – 3 AM at the Atlanta Eagle

Friday, October 10

Pride Kickoff & Opening Parties

Official Pride Kickoff at the Georgia Aquarium

DJs Shane Marcus, Kevin DuRard, Brian Rojas, and Amy Alderman spin across multiple aquarium rooms, including a set under 6.3 million gallons of water!

7-11 PM at Georgia Aquarium

Pride Kickoff After Party

It’s the official kickoff after party, and DJ Joe Gauthreaux is ready to receive you on the dance floor.

Horse Meat Disco presented by Queen Butch × Deep South

A late-night dance spectacle, hosted by Queen Butch and the iconic Horse Meat Disco.

10:00 PM–4:00 AM at Underground Atlanta

There is so much going on at the park, so I definitely recommend taking your time to walk through and take it all in! Pride Yoga in the morning, the Trans March and Bi + Pan March in the afternoon, and the highly recommended Shooting Star Cabaret hosted by Mona Lott in the afternoon. This year’s headlining entertainment includes Bob the Drag Queen, Flo Milli, Perfume Genius, 2AM Ricky, and more. Check out atlantapride.org for programming and timing.

Kween On the Green

A fun and friendly gathering in the park during Atlanta Pride.

12:30 - 7 PM at Piedmont Park

Ansley Square Pride festival

All the bars and all the fun at Ansley. Expect lots of outdoor activities and performers. Saturday and Sunday All Day!

Queen Butch × Deep South:

Club Bad feat. Roi Perez

An electrifying flagship nightlife event featuring international DJs and Atlanta’s fiercest crowd. Music by Roi Perez (Berghain | Panorama Bar Berlin) + Bearcat (Dweller NYC | Berlin) and Deep South’s Brian Rojas and Wild Cherry.

10 PM – 4 AM at Underground Atlanta

Club Saturn feat.

Asphodèle and Jellyfish

Atlanta’s new Technosexual Order and Club Saturn are collaborating on this queer dance party to nring you two dance floors with additional support by DJ Mike Bradley, DJ Neighbor, Escuincle, Geexella, and more.

9PM – 3AM at 404.EXE

Phox & Friends Pride Edition

This day-into-night celebration of queer joy, radical love, and chosen family will feature sounds by Phox, Waly, brendy Knadylion, and more – plus special performances!

3 PM – late at Boggs Social Supply

Sunday, October 12

Parade & Grand Finale

Atlanta Pride Parade

March through Midtown with thousands of marchers and floats, ending at Piedmont Park, or pick a spot along the route to watch the whole parade. It’s a sight to behold and always so special.

Pride Sunday Tea by Stroke and Deep South

Deep south and Stroke come together to bring you a classic Pride-themed tea dance reminiscent of the fabled Sunday Service. Enjoy Deep South resident DJs along with DJ NSA, and the headliners Jeffrey Sfire and Nolia. 4 – 9 PM at Lore Atlanta

2025 Atlanta Pride Starlight Cabaret

As a tradition,the Starlight Cabaret closes out the Pride weekend in the park. It is the largest outdoor drag show in the United States hosted by Phoenix, and features over 20 drag performers from the Atlanta Metropolitan area.

7 – 9 PM at the Main Stage in Piedmont Park

Pride 25’ at the Eagle

Close out the weekend with a hot dance party at the Eagle featirng DJ James Anthony.

9 PM – 3 AM at the Atlanta Eagle

The Body Remembers, The Body Belongs

By Dr. Zachary LaVigne, B.S., D.C

I was standing at the corner of 10th and Piedmont last October, watching a river of rainbow flags pour down the street. A drag queen in sequins was perched on a float, a group of teenagers were chanting “love is love,” and someone handed me a bead necklace like I’d been part of the crew all along. The air buzzed with bass and laughter, and for a moment, my chest felt lighter than it had in weeks.

That wasn’t just good vibes. It was biology.

Humans are wired to belong. Our ancestors survived not by being the fastest or the strongest but by sticking together. To be cast out meant danger, even death. Our nervous systems still treat social rejection like a physical injury. MRI scans show that exclusion lights up the same pain centers in the brain as a broken bone. No wonder the queer heart aches when it’s told to hide.

a rainbow fan. All of it floods the body with cues of safety: cortisol levels sink, oxytocin—the bonding hormone—spikes, and heart rates sync to the rhythm of drums in the parade.

That’s why people cry at Pride. I saw a man near me on the parade route, maybe in his fifties, tears streaming behind his sunglasses as he clutched his partner’s hand. He wasn’t sad, his body was remembering. The nervous system that had braced for rejection for decades was finally being told: you belong.

Many of us know that ache well. Growing up, you might have felt it in a classroom where you kept quiet, or at a family dinner where your truth stayed tucked behind your teeth. Some carry even older echoes, what scientists now call “epigenetic scars.” Trauma can alter how genes are expressed, meaning vigilance and stress sometimes ripple through generations like a haunting. The body keeps receipts.

And then Pride arrives.

This is more than celebration. It’s repair. Pride teaches the body a new story. One where we aren’t hiding, but shining. Where exclusion is replaced by inclusion, and shame is rewritten as joy.

So when you step into the crowd this year, whether at the corner of 10th and Piedmont, under the canopy of trees in Piedmont Park, or at one of the late-night dance parties, notice what happens inside you. That flutter in your chest isn’t just glitter and music. It’s biology rebooting. It’s the body healing itself through belonging.

And belonging, after all, is what we were built for.

Walking through Piedmont Park during the festival, you can feel bodies exhale. Strangers link arms. Couples kiss openly on picnic blankets. A mom hoists her kid on her shoulders, the child’s tiny hands waving

Viktor & Rolf: Fashion as Art at the High

Edited by Mikkel Hyldebrandt

Photos Courtesy of the High Museum

For more than three decades, Dutch fashion artists Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren—known collectively as Viktor & Rolf—have challenged the very notion of what fashion can be. Often described as the industry’s consummate outsiders, they have nevertheless carved out a space where haute couture and art collide with breathtaking originality. Their creations do not simply adorn the body; they provoke, amuse, unsettle, and astonish. This fall, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta will be the exclusive U.S. venue to present the first major retrospective of their work, organized by curator Thierry-Maxime Loriot and the Kunsthalle Munich in Germany, where the exhibition debuted earlier this year.

The retrospective will feature more than one hundred works spanning the duo’s career, each one a testament to their mastery of craft and willingness to defy convention. Garments from more than thirty of their collections will be on view, alongside a selection of their enigmatic “works-in-progress dolls”—delicate porcelain figures dressed in miniature couture. Accompanied by elaborate animated projections created by the acclaimed visual effects studio Rodeo FX, the exhibition promises to be as immersive and theatrical as Viktor & Rolf’s most daring runway shows.

Outsiders Who Redefined Fashion

From the beginning, Viktor & Rolf positioned themselves at a distance from the commercial machinery of fashion. After meeting while studying at the prestigious Arnhem Academy of Art and Design in the late 1980s, the two began collaborating almost immediately, united by a shared skepticism toward the fashion system and a burning desire to treat clothing as a conceptual art form. In 1993, they relocated to Paris and launched their label, quickly attracting attention for their experimental presentations, which often took the form of gallery installations rather than conventional runway shows.

It was clear from the start that Viktor & Rolf were not interested in trends or retail-driven collections. Instead, they sought to interrogate the very structures of fashion itself: What makes a garment wearable? What makes fashion “luxury”? And, perhaps most importantly, how can

clothing function as an idea, a statement, or even a performance?

The Drama of Couture

The duo’s couture collections often blur the line between theater and fashion. Who could forget the 1999 collection in which models walked backwards down the runway, their dresses fastened on in reverse? Or their Spring 2019 collection, a viral sensation, in which gowns were emblazoned with meme-worthy slogans like “I’m not shy, I just don’t like you” and “No photos please.” Such designs reveal their uncanny ability to capture both the zeitgeist and the timeless desire for spectacle.

At the same time, Viktor & Rolf demonstrate impeccable technical prowess. Their designs are not mere provocations but meticulously constructed garments, rooted in a deep knowledge of couture traditions and fashion history. They have reinterpreted everything

Late Stage Capitalism Waltz, haute couture, spring/ summer 2023, Look 15, tulle, satin, cotton coutille, and 3D-printed shape, Viktor&Rolf (Dutch, founded 1993); Viktor Horsting (Dutch, born 1969) and Rolf Snoeren (Dutch, born 1969). Modeled by Eva Bus. Photographed by Marijke Aerden. © Marijke Aerden.

from the crinoline to the smoking jacket, often exaggerating proportions to surreal effect. It is this combination of conceptual daring and technical mastery that sets them apart.

Fashion’s Favorite Collaborators

Though they call themselves outsiders, Viktor & Rolf’s influence reverberates through the worlds of music, art, and celebrity culture. Their designs have been embraced by some of the most daring performers of our time, including Madonna, Lady Gaga, Cardi B, and Tilda Swinton. Each collaboration underscores the theatricality of their work, garments designed not simply to be worn but to communicate.

Dolls, Dreams, and Other Obsessions

One of the most intriguing elements of the retrospective is the inclusion of the designers’ works-in-progress dolls. These antique-inspired porcelain figures, dressed in miniature versions of couture garments, reveal the intimate process behind the spectacle. They act as both sketches and finished works, embodying the designers’ fascination with transformation, fantasy, and play.

The exhibition also extends beyond the garments themselves, thanks to the artistry of Rodeo FX, whose projections will envelop visitors in a dreamlike environment. Much like Viktor & Rolf’s

own shows, where staging and choreography are inseparable from the clothing, the exhibition becomes a total artwork—an experience rather than a display.

What makes Viktor & Rolf so vital is not simply their daring designs but the intellectual rigor behind them. They approach fashion as a medium of ideas, as likely to reference Dada, Surrealism, or Baroque portraiture as to riff on contemporary pop culture. Their work asks us to see clothing not only as functional or beautiful but as a vehicle for storytelling, critique, and wonder.

For Atlanta, hosting the exclusive U.S. presentation of this retrospective is no small coup. Visitors will have the chance to see, up close, the garments that have redefined the possibilities of couture and cemented Viktor & Rolf’s place in both fashion and art history.

As Viktor & Rolf themselves might say: these are not just clothes. They are dreams, manifest in silk, tulle, and sequins—proof that fashion, at its highest level, is art.

Viktor&Rolf. Fashion Statements will be showing at the High Museum October 10, 2025 – February 8, 2026. Learn more at high.org

NEW ONLINE CALENDAR

BARS & CLUBS MIDTOWN

BLAKE’S ON THE PARK blakesontheparkatlanta.com 227 10th St NE

BULLDOGS 893 Peachtree St NE

FRIENDS NEIGHBORHOOD BAR friendsonponce-atl.com 736 Ponce De Leon Ave NE

MY SISTER’S ROOM mysistersroom.com 66 12th St NE

X MIDTOWN xmidtown.com 990 Piedmont Ave NE

THE T modeltatlanta.com 465 Boulevard SE

CHESHIRE

HERETIC hereticatlanta.com 2069 Cheshire Bridge Road

BJ ROOSTERS bjroosters.com 2043 Cheshire Bridge Road NE

WESTSIDE

MARQUETTE 868 Joseph E. Boone Blvd NW

840ATL 840 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd

A snapshot of Gay Atlanta’s favorite destinations. View their ads in DAVID & visit their websites for weekly event listings.

SNAPS

ANSLEY

ATLANTA EAGLE 1492 Piedmont Ave NE

FELIX’S 1510 Piedmont Ave NE

MIXX mixxatlanta.com 1492 Piedmont Ave NE

OSCAR’S oscarsatlanta.com 1510 Piedmont Ave NE

WOOFS woofsatlanta.com 494 Plasters Ave NE

TRIPPS fb: tripps-bar 1931 Piedmont Cir NE

EAST ATLANTA, GRANT PARK & EDGEWOOD

MARY’S marysatlanta.com 1287 Glenwood Ave SE

SISTER LOUISA’S CHURCH sisterlouisaschurch. com 466 Edgewood Ave SE

LORE ATLANTA loreatl.com 466 Edgewood Ave loreatl.com

DINING

MIDTOWN

CASA ALMENARA 991 Piedmont Ave NE casa-almenara.com

OLIVE BISTRO olivebistro.com 1050 Juniper St NE #4

LA HACIENDA lahaciendamidtown. com

900 Monroe Dr NE

TUK TUK THAI FOOD LOFT TUKTUKATL.COM 1745 Peachtree Rd NW

DEKALB

LIPS ATLANTA atldragshow.com 3011 Buford Hwy NE

RETAIL

MIDTOWN

BOY NEXT DOOR MENSWEAR boynextdoormenswear.com 1000 Piedmont Ave NE, Ste A

ANSLEY

BARKING LEATHER AFTER DARK barkingleather.com 1510 Piedmont Ave NE

GCB & PLEASURES brushstrokesatlanta. com

1510-D Piedmont Ave. NE

FITNESS MIDTOWN

URBAN BODY FITNESS urbanbody tness. com

500 Amsterdam Ave N

CHESHIRE

GRAVITY FITNESS

gravity tnessatl.com 2201 Faulkner Rd NE

SPAS/BATHS ADULT

FLEX SPA exspas.com 76 4th St NW

SOUTHERN NIGHTS

VIDEO 2205 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE

We all have those moments of ‘wait, did they just say that?’ Lucky for you, we compile the best of the best right here on this page. Want to join in on the b*tch session? Submit your own nuggets to info@davidatlanta.com.

Going the extra mile! (as in missing my eaxit)

Every bathroom is gender neutral if you’re there to do c*ke

I donʼt douche for DL guys, cuz who are they gonna tell?!

Warning: Objects in the mirror may appear older and more haggard than you would like them to to appear.

I opened two gifts this morning. They were my holes.

I’ll be like “I needed this” and it was literally a bender…

I know this too shall pass. But damn.

Picking at your skin is okay if you feel like this time, it will really truly make it smooth.