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: E.R. Anderson
Interviewer: A.C. Panella
Date of interview: January 6 and 22, 2022
Biography:
E.R. Anderson 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 his 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 his 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
Mailing Address:
Special Collections & Archives
Georgia State University Library
100 Decatur Street, SE
Atlanta, Georgia 30303-3202
In Person:
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