Macon Magazine

June/July 2025 | maconmagazine.com 53 through Georgia." The architecture and downtown scene inspire Miller. Poetically, Hart is inspired by the "heart," and the love Macon provides him. Transparently, the complex nature of how Macon sometimes rejected Little Richard in life, while simultaneously profiting off of his genius, especially now, presents questions of how they could repay him. In his last known public speaking appearance preaching in 2017, Richard still mentioned mistreatment from his hometown. "I'm from Macon, Georgia. I was treated real nasty, and I was trying to get revenge," he said of his time before being saved. "I think that it's important as we think about preserving someone's legacy to hold on to all of it, to hold on to every detail," Hart declares, in regards to Macon honoring Little Richard. "I think each moment of his life – the highs, the lows, the secular music, the gospel music, the humble beginnings to the spectacle that he became – I think everything is an entry point for a lesson, for learning, for insight. I think that Macon has the duty of carrying that legacy out and just making sure that people remember all of it." Miller proposes the revitalization of an old downtown building, where there could be a cultural center in his honor. Maybe it is as simple as fostering a friendly environment for queer individuals where they feel safe and welcomed, as Alexander suggests. "The biggest way to repay someone as amazing as Little Richard is for everyone that comes behind him to feel what he didn't get a chance to." In the time since Little Richard passed, the queer experience in Macon has wavered in the face of increasingly anti-LGBTQ+ policies passed in Georgia and nationally. The whiplash of public sentiment is much like how Richard's own identification changed over the years, using words like gay, straight, bisexual, omnisexual, "both male and female," a man, and more to define himself. It was openly difficult for him to reconcile. For some Maconites, the sense of struggle persists, even if they are more confident in their own identity. "I think the queer experience is – it's like we're going backwards and it's so frustrating," Alexander follows. "Everything that we've worked so hard for, the equity that we are building, and the quality that we're trying to obtain is literally being erased as we speak." And yet, today, there are many outward expressions of LGBTQ+ joy – some of which is due to doors kicked open by Richard, throwing his legs over the piano with signature panache. "A lot of comfort has been brought to me personally in terms of just seeing such a range and a spectrum of queerness, and queer life, and queer art be championed and be placed at the forefront of our culture. It always has been, but it has been very minimized, or diminished, or talked down upon. But I think recently, I've started to see where that's starting to get reversed, which I'm thankful for, and I think someone like Little Richard would actually appreciate it," Hart says. "I feel like a lot of people are finally being true to themselves. Of course, we still have a lot of people that [are] not, but I feel like a lot of people are being true to themselves, and I feel like they're fighting for equality," Miller explains. "I think his impact as an event in the music industry has really brought everyone together, but also made them be creative, and be who they are," Marshall points out. K E E P A - K N O C K I N ' If there were more time with the legend, there is no doubt those ignited by him would want to thank him. "If I could tell him anything, I'd tell him that his work does not go unappreciated," Alexander said. "I'd tell him that he's an inspiration to everyone regardless of, you know, if they acknowledge it or not. The acknowledgement isn't always as important as the reflection." Hart would like to thank him for setting the stage,

• Cover