Interviewee: TAYLOR ALXNDR
Interviewer: Cassidy Hayes
Date of interview: September 29, 2020
Biography:
TAYLOR ALXNDR (they/she) is a DIY musician, drag performer, and community organizer based in Atlanta, GA. Raised in the rural edges of the Metro area, ALXNDR has been creating in and captivating Atlanta and beyond since 2011. ALXNDR is the co-founder and current executive director of Southern Fried Queer Pride (SFQP), an Atlanta-based non-profit organization empowering Black queer and QTPOC centered communities in the South through the arts. They are also the mother of the House of ALXNDR, an Atlanta-based drag family and events hub, creating drag-centered, inclusive events.
Abstract:
ALXNDR begins by sharing details of their early family life and experiences growing up in rural Georgia. She describes engaging with LGBTQ+ organizations after moving to Atlanta, emphasizing the role of patience as a tool for community activism. ALXNDR then discusses her career and navigating performance art and activism through the COVID-19 pandemic. They describe the Southern Fried Queer Pride (SFQP), their identity as a queer Southerner, and the effects of Southern purity culture on the queer community. ALXNDR talks about her music and concludes by discussing her partners and polyamory.
Interviewee: Dani Alexander-Burk
Interviewer: Tracee McDaniel
Date of interview: April 5, 2024
Biography:
From The National Center for Civil and Human Rights LGBTQ Institute website:
Dani Alexander-Burk (they/he) serves as a Regional Program Coordinator/Office Manager for Lambda Legal’s Southern Regional Office, based in Atlanta, Georgia. They joined the SRO in August 2021, leading community outreach initiatives across the region and supporting Lambda’s fundraising and policy work across the South. Previously, Dani worked at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia where he managed the LGBTQ Resource Center for three years.
Abstract:
Dani Alexander-Burk is a first-generation Guyanese-American, Black, non-binary and trans activist based in Atlanta, GA. At the time of recording, they were working at Lambda Legal's Southern Regional Office, where they focused on fundraising and policy work. Dani begins the interview by discussing his upbringing, describing how his parents immigrated from Guyana to Florida in the 80s-90s, where Dani lived in Fort Lauderdale before moving to Jonesboro, Georgia, as a child. Throughout the conversation, Dani talks about their experiences in school and their journey to ultimately understanding themselves as nonbinary in college at Kennesaw State University. During college, Dani was involved in the LGBTQ Resource Center and created a student leadership organization focused on LGBTQ education. Later, he worked for Kennesaw State, eventually earning a university award for LGBTQ initiatives. As the interview progresses, Dani addresses various topics, including experiences exploring trans parenthood and their appreciation for Black queer doula work, the impact of the police murder of Tony McDade in Tallahassee, Lambda’s work advocating for trans youth, and queer expression in Guyana. Dani also talks about their time serving as an advisory board member of the advocacy organization 100 Black Trans Men, Inc. In their downtime, Dani enjoys playing video and board games and exploring outdoors with their dog.
Interviewee: E.R. Anderson
Interviewer: A.C. Panella
Date of interview: January 6 and 22, 2022
Biography:
E.R. Anderson (they/them, he/him) is a queer Southern writer, bookseller, and editor from Atlanta, Georgia. Anderson is the Executive Director of Charis Circle, the non-profit programming arm of Charis Books and More, the nation’s oldest and largest feminist bookstore. Anderson’s novel in progress, Paradise Park, tells the story of the Turners, an Evangelical Catholic family of six, who operate a sin and salvation-themed amusement park in Alapaha, Georgia. When not writing, Anderson is a recovering academic, lazy athlete, and a serious lover of bulldogs, cooking, and the Atlanta Braves.
Abstract:
E.R. Anderson discusses growing up in Atlanta during the 1980s-1990s, reflecting on how living in majority Black West End shaped their awareness of white privilege. Raised in the Catholic Church, he describes negotiating gender roles in religious environments and navigating familial expectations. Later, E.R. recounts exploring the Atlanta bar scene and coming into their identity in a multiracial, multigenerational setting. He also shares his involvement with Charis books, one of the oldest independent feminist bookstores in the South (est. 1974). Regarding healthcare, E.R. addresses gaps in medical knowledge concerning trans health and early online support networks. He concludes the interview by describing how the Black Lives Matter movement and the COVID-19 pandemic have influenced contemporary trans politics in Georgia.
Special Collections and Archives
Gender and Sexuality Collections: Subject Guide
Phone: (404) 413-2880
E-Mail: archives@gsu.edu
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