Our Issues

Adoption

Georgia law currently is silent on the issue of adoption by LGBT individuals, instead focusing on what is in the best interest of the child at issue. Georgia Equality, along with volunteer attorneys, works to monitor proposed legislation before the state legislature to ensure LGBT individuals are protected from possible discrimination in the adoption process.

Safe Schools

Georgia Equality is working with state lawmakers to pass a bill that would require school districts across the state to develop a system to investigate and resolve student-on-student bullying. Such legislation would encompass anti-gay bullying and require that repeat offenders be sent to alternative schooling.

Hate Crimes

Georgia is among a handful of states lacking a hate crimes law, which allows judges to impose enhanced sentences on defendants convicted of bias-motivated crimes. Georgia Equality focuses on building support at the Capitol for legislation that would allow for enhanced sentences for hate crimes based on race, religion, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Annual reports from the FBI show that while hate crimes based on race and religion have declined, anti-gay attacks continue to increase.

Employment Discrimination

Being hired, fired, or promoted should be the result of a worker’s performance, not whether he or she is gay, straight, bisexual, or transgender. Georgia Equality works to promote statewide and local laws that prevent employers from making decisions based on a worker’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

Domestic Partner Benefits

Georgia Equality develops and maintains relationships with both elected officials, as well as private employers, in order to expand the list of governments and employers offering domestic-partner benefits for LGBT employees and their dependents. This includes health-care insurance for LGBT partners/significant others, as well as bereavement leave and time off due to the illness of a LGBT partner/significant other, or a partner’s/significant other’s family member.

Fair-Minded Legislators

As a non-partisan organization, Georgia Equality seeks to build fair-minded majorities in the Georgia Legislature, as well as on city councils and county commissions across the state. Our goal is for elected officials from all political parties and backgrounds to work together in establishing equal rights under the law for LGBT individuals.