Resentment in the black gay community was exacerbated recently when the Atlanta Pride Committee turned down an offer from Clik, a national black gay magazine, to make an in-kind trade of advertising space. “I’m happy that lots of black gays are here, but I want our voices to be heard.” “People say that Atlanta is a black gay mecca,” said Gregg Flynn, 46, a Bulldogs regular who works for an Atlanta staffing company. Yet as more African American gays settle in Atlanta - attracted by the city’s low cost of living and party-hard reputation - they are pushing for more representation within the mainstream gay community. Most of the city’s gay nightclubs are predominantly white, and the same is true of most gay networking groups and political institutions.

Strobe lights swirl around the chrome dance floor men in baggy tracksuits and tight tank tops groove to disco anthems and sip strong cocktails from plastic cups.īut outside the small bar on Peachtree Street, there are few signs that Atlanta is home to the largest community of black same-sex couples in the South.

On Thursday nights, Bulldogs is the hub of black gay Atlanta.