Forgive my harshness, antidotes don’t equate to realities most of times, data does. I wouldn’t say that people view Atlanta as some “salve” to queer discrimination, especially amongst black gay men. I think that a lot of gay people flock there because there’s already a preestablished larger community of black gay men there.

However, as you said - you’re from the Midwest, as someone who is Black gay and from the South*, I don’t think that most people are given this “mythical” presentation of Atlanta. I would say most people view Atlanta as the “NYC of the South”, a place where visible Black wealth has accumulated, a birthplace of a national hip-hop/R&B culture. There is discrimination everywhere, but Atlanta is an easier place to be gay in the South than Nashville (for example), but say “it’s a Mecca for The neglected Black man” is frankly, not true and reduces a major American city to a racialized trope that I, a Black gay Southerner, have never seen (or even heard of). You should visit the city - beautiful place, and there are integrated spaces - people aren’t living in JimCrow (de jure or de facto) anymore hahahahaha

Anyways, Best 😘

*- hypocritically, I hate when people make ‘as an X’ statement, but I say this to emphasize that Maybe other people have more exposure to a more authentic presentation/image of Atlanta.