You Can’t Stop the Queer South is Them’s series spotlighting LGBTQ+ voices of resistance and resilience in the American South, created with guest editor adrienne maree brown. In the time since producing these stories, Hurricane Helene has devastated areas across North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, and Virginia, with nearly 200 dead, a million without power, and countless homes destroyed or displaced. We ask readers to support on-the-ground relief efforts however possible. See our Hurricane Helene relief resource guide to learn how you can help.
It looks like a typical Sunday night at Atlanta sex store Tokyo Valentino from outside its wooden façade, save for a couple of security guards monitoring the parking lot. No one is inside but the cashier, who tells me I can find the main event of the night through an inconspicuous side door into a three-story club. The first two floors of the hidden venue feel like an arcade, equipped with neon and retro games. The top floor, however, is where you’ll find the dancers of Hush Night, Atlanta’s premiere trans strip night, washed in red lights as they perform to trap music on the main stage.
A strip night exclusively for trans women is one of those ideas that sounds so obviously needed that it’s shocking it’s not happening in every major metropolis. The lack of trans-specific spaces in the Atlanta strip club market is what compelled the night’s owner and organizer Lenox to create Hush Night in 2016. “This is something towards the trans experience and the people who are attracted to the trans experience,” he tells Them.
Working with input from veteran trans performers like Bella B., Hush Night was born. In the eight years since its inception, Hush has grown into an every Thursday and Sunday affair, showcasing trans women working their magic over a loyal crowd. Performers travel from all corners of the country to dance on its hallowed stages, with peak nights like its yearly Halloween costume contest bringing in crowds of over 300 people. What makes Hush Night special compared to other clubs that employ trans performers is the solid sisterhood established between the dancers and just how protected its dancers are.
“Everybody has been so sweet. We hype each other up,” Moet, a long-term Hush Night dancer, tells Them. “We could be anywhere in the world tonight but we’re here at Hush Nights, under great supervision.”
While Hush Night is well-known among trans performers and was featured in the award-winning 2023 documentary Kokomo City, the night is exactly what its name implies: discreet. Its Instagram page — which features eye-catching posters of the performers posed like bombshells to promote various events — is private, which Lenox says is done in part to evade Meta’s strict community guidelines and in part to keep its community of loyal customers vetted. Initially, I didn’t understand the meaning of the event’s name “Hush.” Why quiet the night? What good is there in keeping the circle so small? However, as I spoke to the dancers, they all emphasized what a gift discretion could be.
“I feel like this is a safe space,” Moet tells Them.
Privacy provides safety for the dancers, allowing them to be themselves in a space specifically designated to celebrate them. It also provides a safe space for the patrons of Hush Night, many of them men who feel uncomfortable expressing their attraction to trans women. As a man who identifies as trans-attracted himself, Lenox wanted to create a space where dancers feel safe and men can explore their desires at a comfortable distance. And who doesn’t love stumbling upon the sexy side of queer utopia? The night brings in couples, LGBTQ+ people, and straight men and women, all of whom can enjoy the dancers and engage as much as or as little as they’d like. Whether you prefer the sidelines or want to support the girls up close and personal, everyone can create their own experience.
“We got all shapes, flavors, sizes, colors, everything,” Moet says. A quick look around the room confirms that a wide variety of trans women come together to make Hush the iconic event that it is: a rainbow of bodies ready to move, unafraid to dance with all the talent and skill Atlanta strip clubs are known for. If you know the reputation of the Dirty South at all, you know we don’t play about our twerking and shaking abilities. The dancing talent, as expected from Hotlanta, is a must-see. “We dance,” Moet laughs. “We be in here, sweatin’.”
The atmosphere has the same grit and swag as the rest of Atlanta’s famous strip clubs like Magic City or Pink Pony, but the unique feeling of safety for performers at Hush Night wouldn’t be possible without the work of veteran dancers guiding and fostering new talent. Moet, known as “OG” among the dancers, works with the other women at Hush to create an environment that serves both the dancers and the clientele. Even without an audience, the girls shake and twirl for each other. They cheer each other on, dance on each other, and take up the space with life as their admirers observe their play from the couches.
The whimsical and sometimes absurd personality of the different floors also adds levity to the evening. It’s hard for things to feel seedy next to the coin fountain on the first floor or to feel particularly dirty next to someone playing Dance Dance Revolution on the second floor. Blessin, a dancer who has performed at Hush Night for about five months, prefers her experience here over dancing in similar venues in states like Florida.
“I like that there’s variety. There are different floors, you can’t get tired of the scenery, you’re always seeing different people. It’s like a landmark,” she says. “Every girl like us don’t get a chance to experience this, so this is your time, have fun.”
One of the most pressing concerns of putting on an all-trans strip night is security. As trans women of color in particular are facing an epidemic of violence, many trans women who work at strip clubs are particularly vulnerable. The threat of violence feels particularly close to home right now for the Hush community, as Rasheeda Williams (a.k.a. KoKo Da Doll), one of the stars of Kokomo City and a former dancer at Hush Night, was killed in a shooting just a year ago. Lenox tells Them he addresses these challenges with guards vigilant outside at the front door and moving through the venue. It’s Lenox’s attention to the girls’ wellbeing that gives them the assurance to do their job safely every night. All the dancers are aware of the alternatives to a monitored event like Hush and are grateful to be under one roof where they are protected and valued.
“I know when people think of trans, they think of sex work, and sex work is dangerous,” Moet says. “This is not sex work, this is entertaining. I feel like this is safer work. Lots of girls dream of working in the strip club, this is a place where you can come and just feel beautiful. You can just feel yourself. In a lot of ways, it raises the girls’ confidence.”
What does it mean to these girls to have a safe space of their own like this? For some, it makes a world of difference. “When I’m dancing, I escape from reality,” Winter, a dancer at Hush Night for over two years, explains. “I sell a fantasy, I sell the look … I put my best foot forward and be myself.” Winter says Hush Night is a space for self-improvement as much as it is a place to make money.
This is a place where an introvert learns to socialize, or where a girl can learn to appreciate the beauty in her differences. “Whether you got the biggest ass, biggest hips, biggest titties, prettiest face, men look past all that if you sell the fantasy,” Winter says. For the dolls, Hush Night is a safe space to discover yourself, to find power in your sexuality, to “sell a dream,” as Winter puts it. In this light, a space like Hush Night gives the girls empowerment that extends far beyond the third floor. Hush Night can be a stepping stone into actualizing the girls’ larger goals beyond the weekly event. Here, trans women are able to feel themselves, be hot, and be wanted. The marginalized find their way to the spotlight and walk tall in it.
“I definitely want to see it in its own space, a legit strip club,” Lenox says about his future plans for Hush Night. “Not only that, I also hope it will be its own franchise across the country, because there’s trans-attracted people everywhere.” This October, Hush Night will have their own float in Atlanta’s Pride parade, giving the dancers a moment in the sunshine.
Hush Night is one of the hidden gems in Atlanta’s strip club crown. Like the best of the city’s nightlife, it’s its own vibe, offering a sensual experience for anyone drawn into its tucked-away home.
Moet gives one last invitation to the public: “Come check it out for yourself! I know everyone has an idea of Tokyo and what it is, but everyone should experience this place for themselves.”
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