By Wyndi Kappes
For Helmut Lucero Love Domagalski, community isn’t just important, it’s everything. A 2023 Best Self Atlanta Over 40 & Fabulous winner, LGBTQIA+ advocate and founder of the Gayly Impact nonprofit, he turned rejection from family and faith into the foundation for the community he and so many others needed. Now, after a powerful spiritual awakening, he’s written a book, launched a business consulting firm and is running for mayor—hoping to inspire Atlantans of all backgrounds to broaden their perspectives and build a stronger future together.
Why do you think community is so important?
Helmut Lucero Love Domagalski: Community is where love for each other is experienced and where we can ultimately find our chosen families. We need to actively work to get out and get integrated. If your friends all look like you—your race, gender, socioeconomic class, etc.—you need to start creating more diverse communities for yourself out of self-love, at the least. We grow in love for ourselves as we grow in love for others. Being uncomfortable in a community is the first step to making it more robust.
What impact do you think The Gayly Dose is making?
HLLD: The Gayly Dose draws our community together through real-lived experiences across all our variations. We explore how lesbian wives make time to connect before they go to sleep, how Jewish tradition promotes gay celebration and how a Black trans man served our armed forces and became a minister. By delving into and sharing these people’s stories, thousands of Atlantans have had the opportunity to learn from each other.
What inspired your recent decision to run for mayor?
HLLD: I look into the eyes of my daughters and don’t see the hope their generation deserves. With 25 years of experience leading growth at companies like McKesson and IBM Watson, I believe my creativity can help rekindle that hope. I am humble in my approach but fiercely determined to champion greater integrity among our politicians as a fresh outsider. I’m also calling for a spiritual awakening. If we choose to believe more deeply in the one love that brought us here, we can usher in an era of love and sharing that our children deserve.
Where can people find you out and about in Midtown?
HLLD: I love to grab a bite and read a book at the bar at Ecco or Rumi’s Kitchen, or you’ll find me working out with my trainer Cario, doing yoga or meditation in the sauna at exhale or running in Piedmont Park.
