As part of our 55th anniversary celebration, Atlanta Pride is partnering with Out on Film for REEL RESISTANCE: How the Lonesome Cowboys Raid Sparked the Southern Queer Rights Movement. Join us for a two-day film screening and community summit exploring the powerful legacy of queer resistance in the South, featuring a special screening of Lonesome Cowboys— Andy Warhol’s provocative 1968 underground film.
On August 5, 1969, just weeks after the Stonewall Uprising, Atlanta police raided the Ansley Mall Mini-Cinema, which was showing Lonesome Cowboys, targeting members of the LGBTQ+ community in what would become a galvanizing moment for queer resistance in the South. The aftermath of the raid led to the formation of the Georgia Gay Liberation Front, laying the groundwork for the first Atlanta Pride Festival and the broader Southern queer liberation movement.
Through film, discussion, and collective reflection, REEL RESISTANCE will explore how this moment helped spark decades of activism, art, and community building in Georgia and beyond.
This project is funded in part by grants from The Community Corps and South Arts, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and Georgia Council for the Arts.
FRIDAY (screening)
7:00 PM - 9:10 PM
Film Screening: LONESOME COWBOYS
Enjoy a rare screening of LONESOME COWBOYS (1968), an underground film by Andy Warhol that satirizes Westerns through a campy, homoerotic lens. Blending improvisation with countercultural themes, it critiques American masculinity and traditional genre tropes.
9:10 PM - 9:30 PM
Firsthand Reflections
Hear the firsthand experience of local activist, Abby Drue, who was in attendance on August 5, 1969, when Atlanta police raided the Ansley Mall Mini-Cinema. You won't want to miss this!
9:30 PM - 10:30 PM
Reception
Chat about the film while enjoying light bites, as well as alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages.
SATURDAY (community summit)
10:30 AM - 10:45 AM
Welcome & Framing
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Lunch
1:00 PM - 2:15 PM
Breakout Sessions I
Rich Eldridge & Wes Nimmo (Reflections on the Early Years)
Taylor Alxndr & Mr. Elle Aye (Drag as Resistance)
Jeff Graham & Craig Hardesty (ACT UP & Film)
2:30 PM - 3:45 PM
Breakout Sessions II
Michael Shutt & Vandy Beth Glenn (Legal Advocacy in Action)
Anissa Matlock & DaShawn Usher (Activism through Social Media)
Park Cannon & Bentley Hudgins (Navigating Current Politics)
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Closing Session: "From REEL Resistance to REAL Resistance"
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Reception (TBD)