wanderlust

How to make Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta the gayest ever

Super Bowl LIII (that means 53) kicks off Sunday, Feb. 3, in the fine city of Atlanta, when a team known as the Los Angeles Rams take on some team called the New England Patriots.

This 53rd Super Bowl is special, and that’s thanks to the NFL itself. In 2016, the Georgia state legislature passed Bill 757, which would have emboldened religious discrimination.

A slew of major corporations threatened to cut ties with Georgia, Leading the charge was the NFL, which declared that the Super Bowl–already scheduled for Atlanta in 2019–would be moved if the state passed the bill. The horrible right-wing Repugnican governor caved. So, thanks, NFL. (Now it’s time for one of the billionaire owners to give a job to quarterback Colin Rand Kaepernick, who has been denied simply because of his protests against police brutality.)

To help everyone celebrate the Superbowl, Atlanta’s city officials extended the hours that bars serve alcohol during the Super Bowl festivities, from 2:30 a.m. “last call” to 4 a.m. The extra two hours means it’s going to be an extra good time, although there’s no need to go to a party that costs $750 to see Guy Fieri eat while standing on a stage.

Here’s some better ideas to make the most of the Super Bowl LIII weekend extravaganza in Atlanta:

1.Hate Is wrong 

Former football player Esera Tuaolo (photo, top right) played in the NFL for nine years, including a season with the Atlanta Falcons, before he retired in 1999; a few years later he came out as gay and launched a career as an advocate for anti-discrimination. Tuaolo hosts the annual Super Bowl Inclusion Panel and Party, with guest speakers and performers to raise awareness for inclusion in sports. Among the performers at the party will be RuPaul’s Drag Race champ Raja, who will sing a song, because of course Raja and professional football go together like a plastic tray filled with corn chips and yellow cheese. Tuaolo, who is of Samoan ancestry, is also a singer–he performs in Provincetown–so fingers crossed in the hopes he’ll bust out a rendition of “You’re Welcome” from Moana and make the crowd go wild.

2. Woofs is hosting a Super Bowl viewing party, and Woofs is generally a good place to drink beer and yell at the TV when something exciting happens. It will undoubtedly be packed with lots of football fans and lots of people who just want to watch the commercials and the halftime show.

3. My Sister’s Room has a big Super Bowl party planned on Sunday, to celebrate the bar moving to their new and bigger location. Alas, the owners aren’t sure they’ll get the permits approved from the city in time. But fret not! The new space is only 2 doors down from the current location. So they will be open in one of the two places. Partiers will find out when they show up and look for the crowd of rowdy ladies running amok. MSR seems to be quite a fun place. Here’s the time Rose Byrne and Bobby Cannavale stopped by to say hi!

4. Blake’s On The Park will welcome the National Flag Football League of Atlanta for a Super Bowl party starting at 6 p.m.

Let’s take this opportunity to look at some photos of guys from the National Flag Football League of Atlanta, shall we?

Photos courtesy of National Flag Football League of Atlanta

See GayCities full guide to Atlanta bars and clubs with reviews

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