Fighting for all 
LGBTQ+ Georgians

Jeff (he/him) is the executive director of Georgia Equality, an organization that works to advance fairness, safety and opportunity for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities throughout Georgia. Jeff began advocating on LGBT and AIDS related issues as a college student in the mid-1980s and has continued his advocacy on these issues since that time. He has been involved in a wide variety of grassroots and legislative advocacy campaigns and over the past 30 years has served as either an executive director or board member to a number of local and national organizations working on issues related to gay and transgender rights, access to healthcare, community empowerment and HIV/AIDS. Jeff has received numerous awards and recognition for both his advocacy and nonprofit work from organizations such as the National Center for Human Rights Education, the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, Atlanta City Council, The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, ACLU of Georgia and several local publications and organizations within the LGBT and HIV communities. He is a founding board member of ProGeorgia, a membership organization of nonprofits focused on strategic civic engagement activities, and America Votes Georgia, an organization that supports coordinated and strategic engagement on policy issues and electoral progress across a variety of issues.

He served as a Grand Marshal of the Atlanta Pride Parade and has been named to the most influential lists of Atlanta Magazine, Atlanta Business Chronicle and Georgia Trend.

Within nearly 20 years of advocacy, Chanel (she/her) is the first African-American Transgender person hired by the Georgia House of Representatives assigned to four Republicans and three Democrats. Appointed to the City of Atlanta Human Relations Commission by Atlanta City Council President Ceasar Mitchell in 2014. Later to be elected Chairperson in 2016-2018. Making her the first Trans-person to chair any City of Atlanta constituted board. She secured a 20k budget, the first for the Commission. The Human Relations Commission is the governing board for Atlanta’s nondiscrimination ordinance. The position with the commission gave her the authority to facilitate Trans* Humility Training at all the homeless shelters within Atlanta city limits. She is co-author of the “S.L.E.E.P. training manual” for the City of Atlanta. And was the only Trans-person appointed to the City of Atlanta’s HOPWA Modernization Advisory Committee.

Chanel served four years as the secretary of Georgia’s State Advisory Committee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights, cochairing and coauthoring: “Disability Rights and Civil Rights in Georgia” report. Elected 2017-2018 Fulton County Democrat Post Seat Holder At-Large. Elected as a 2018 Delegate to the State Democrat Convention and elected a district level Delegate to the 2020 Biden Democrat National Convention. In 2017, Chanel Haley became the first Trans-person to be listed in Real Times Media “Who’s Who in Black Atlanta” 17th edition. She is a 2018 graduate of the City of Atlanta Citizens Police Academy conducted by the Atlanta Police Department. In 2019-2021 Ms. Haley served on the Advisory Council to Recovery Resources of Atlanta Midtown Covenant Community, Inc. She served as the chairperson of Trans Housing Atlanta Program (THAP). In 2020, Chanel served on the Screening Committee for Out on Film and is 2020’s OUT Georgia Business Alliance 100 Most Influential LGBT Georgians. Served as an appointee to the Clayton County School Board Advisory Council as Vice-Chair in 2022. And served one term as Co-Chair on the Fulton County District Attorney’s LGBTQ Advisory Board. In 2024, Chanel became a board member of “The Communities And Police Partnership” (TCAPP). With appearances at 15 universities on 17 campuses, including Yale University. She currently facilitates “Trans* 101 Humility” Trainings by request custom for any type of organization. In 2016, 2017, and 2024 her facilitation included the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Chanel Haley has received 2 national awards from Black Trans Advocacy Coalition (BTAC):
2018 Trailblazer Award Winner, 2019 Monica Roberts Award for Advocacy Winner.
And is a 2019 Atlanta Pride Grand Marshall

Wes (he/him) is the Development & Communications Director at Georgia Equality. He holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Georgia State University’s Andrew Young School of Policy Studies and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Mercer University.

A Georgia native, Wes began his activism in undergrad, on campus and while volunteering on Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. As a graduate student Wes coupled his academic work with an internship at Georgia Equality and upon completing his degree joined the staff in May 2013.

Noël (they/them) is the Statewide Organizing & Outreach Manager for Georgia Equality, the state’s oldest & largest advocacy organization for LGBTQ+ human rights and HIV/AIDS healthcare. Their work with Georgia Equality includes legislative advocacy and grassroots organizing. They sit on the Boards of both This Doesn’t Define Me and The Dreaming Justice Project. Noël approaches their activism and advocacy work through a collective liberation lens. They are involved in coalition work that centers cross-racial solidarity, immigrants’ rights, working class unity, and protecting the environment.

Growing up, they were raised in rural South Georgia in a religious cult rooted in white Christian nationalism. They were in a highly controlled environment where they were sheltered from any knowledge of LGBTQIA+ history and community. They spent several of their adolescent years interning at state capitols across the nation including at Georgia’s Capitol on behalf of conservative ideals and lobbied for the use of religious principles to be used as a basis for discrimination. Once they were able to go to the University of Georgia and began volunteering with the AIDS Coalition of Northeast Georgia, they were able to begin the process of figuring out their identity and beliefs. They first got involved with Georgia Equality as a volunteer around 2017 and went on to serve in leadership on Georgia Equality’s Boards before transitioning to being a Staff member.

Noël is an active member of The Collective, a fully affirming Lutheran congregation in Atlanta, an advocate for domestic violence survivors and a volunteer for Ahimsa House helping to get HB 177 passed in Georgia in 2025, and serving as the state leader for The Venture Out Project, a national organization coordinating outdoor events by and for transgender and queer community.

As a writer and speaker, their voice has been shared nationally and throughout the state on platforms such as the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the Georgia Voice, GLAAD, and at events held by many organizations including the Equality Federation, Atlanta Pride, SOJOURN, and Solutions Not Punishment Collaborative. Their story and writing has been featured in several books including “Authentic Selves” available locally through Charis Books. They are a graduate of the University of Georgia.

For Noël, activism and advocacy are a spiritual activity. In past years, they had significant involvement locally and nationally in the leadership of faith-based LGBTQIA+ affirming groups and issued a call for DEI growth and development in these organizations, especially in reference to trans inclusion and anti-racism.

Their why for wanting to do the work they do is they believe we are all connected and total liberation is dependent on everyone getting liberated. As both a non-binary human and a lesbian that has made their way through extensive self discovery and self acceptance journeys, they strongly believe everyone deserves to be able to safely experience both authenticity and belonging.

They spend their free time supporting local art and enjoying nature. Noël resides in the Westside of Atlanta with their fiancée and their dogs and cat.

Jessica Douglas (she/her) is the Development and Communications Manager at Georgia Equality. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Georgia, where she also minored in African American Studies and earned a certificate in Public Affairs Communications and Applied Politics. Jessica served as a student activist and interned for Georgia Equality twice, working on communications, advocacy, and field organizing.

While a student at the University of Georgia, Jessica led an initiative to memorialize the vast contributions of enslaved individuals towards the foundation and success of the University– ultimately resulting in the construction of a monument at Baldwin Hall dedicated to the enslaved individuals whose remains were excavated during construction on the historic North Campus.

As a native Georgian, Jessica is passionate about reshaping the narrative of progressive politics in the south. Jessica most recently served as an external relations officer for the Center for Victims of Torture in Georgia, advocating for refugee and immigrant survivors of conflict-related trauma. She cares about approaching social issues from an intersectional and trauma-informed lens.

In spare time, Jessica enjoys reading, tending to her many houseplants, consuming reality TV, and spending time with her cats, Felix and Finley.

Meet Kayla Quimbley-Young (she/her), the dynamic force behind HIV policy management at Georgia Equality. Hailing from rural Georgia, Kayla’s journey into advocacy was ignited by the pervasive stigma and misinformation surrounding HIV in her community. Armed with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s in Public Health, she embarked on a mission to drive change.

For nine years, Kayla has been a steadfast advocate, using her voice and personal narrative as powerful tools for education and empowerment. Drawing from her own life experiences, she weaves storytelling and poetry into her advocacy, captivating audiences and shedding light on the realities of living with HIV.

In recent years, Kayla has expanded her impact into policy development, emerging as a fierce lobbyist for youth and a champion for comprehensive sex education. As one of the youngest members to serve on PACHA (the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS), Kayla has played a pivotal role in shaping recommendations for the Assistant Secretary of Health in the Biden administration.

Outside the realm of advocacy, Kayla is a free spirit who finds solace in family, friends, travel, and nature. Whether she’s exploring new destinations or simply reveling in the beauty of the outdoors, Kayla embodies a zest for life that transcends boundaries and inspires those around her.

Dr. Christy Perez (she/her) is an Afro-Latina public theologian, historian, journalist, content creator and policy strategist whose work centers the intersections of incarceration, public health, and structural inequality. She is the Founder and Executive Director of the Dreaming Justice Project based in Atlanta, where she leads initiatives focused on reentry support, harm reduction, political education, and decarceral policy, and she serves as State Gender Policy Manager at Georgia Equality, advancing statewide advocacy on gender justice and health equity.

Dr. Perez was named one of the Top 30 Inspirational Women to Watch for in 2026 by NY Weekly Magazine and she is the author of Practicing Freedom: A Dreaming Justice Handbook for Faith, Abolition, and the Work of Repair. Dr. Perez earned her doctorate from Amherst Theological Seminary while incarcerated, pursuing higher education through independent study and academic sponsorship, an experience that now directly shapes her scholarship and policy analysis on prisons, health systems, and reentry. She is a Marvel Cooke Abolitionist Journalism Fellow, a Writing for Justice Fellow with the INCITE Institute at Columbia University, and a Senior Journalism Fellow with The Lighthouse | Black Girl Projects. Her journalism and commentary on mass incarceration, health disparities, and social policy have appeared in outlets including HuffPost, Filter Magazine, Business Insider, and The Appeal, and she is the recipient of the 2024 PJP Stillwater Award for Best News Story.

Based in Atlanta, Dr. Perez is a nationally recognized journalist, speaker, consultant, and community educator who brings an interdisciplinary lens that bridges theology, public health, and policy. Drawing from both lived experience and rigorous research, her work focuses on the health consequences of incarceration, the role of carceral systems as de facto public health institutions, and the advancement of harm reduction, decarceral policy, and community-based models of care. Follow her on all social media @UnCagedChristy.

Alysa L’se (she/they) is a writer and narrative strategist, based in Atlanta, Georgia, pursuing her Bachelor’s Degree in African American Studies at Georgia State University. Early on, Alysa found her love for art, community and culture through the workings of Black, Queer thought leaders, activists and trailblazers who have paved the way for those overlooked and underrepresented to mark their places in the world. Starting their career working with marginalized youth in Metro Atlanta, Alysa quickly realized the gap between resources and accessibility within underserved communities across the South. As a Southern baby, Alysa has always been passionate about preserving the rich ethos that has kept the South such a special, unique marker in our world, recognizing the intentional barriers placed onto our community members who live and survive within the low to working class.
Working with QBIPOC creators, reproductive justice and grassroots orgs, Alysa has been able to create spaces where Black, Brown and Queer folks feel seen, heard and advocated for, equipped with the necessary tools to move against the systems put in place to keep them stagnant, using the gifts that remind each of us of our capability, passion and humanity. Through storytelling, Alysa aims to bridge these gaps with education, representation and joy as one cannot sustain without the others.
Outside of work, Alysa is often writing poems at two in the morning, listening to jazz and R&B deep cuts or volunteering with youth and queer folks.

Jack Jordan (they/them) is a disabled, queer, non-binary, Black Puerto Rican.

Jack has been involved in South Florida activism for over ten years, since their early teens. Jack’s focus is on queer/ trans liberation, healthy relationships, inclusive and accessible spaces, risk-aware safer sex, and youth empowerment. Jack has become well known for their visibility, nuance, and bold outspokenness around injustice. Jack has utilized their art and graphic design to support multiple community initiatives, organizations, and fundraising efforts.

Jack has also put in countless hours of local community organizing and leadership through their involvement with Miami’s Transgender Day of Remembrance & Resilience (TDORR) event since 2013. As a speaker at TDORR in 2013, Jack courageously shared their own personal experience coming to terms with their identity as a transgender young person. As a member of the TDORR planning committee from 2015-2022, Jack has assisted with the direct creation of programming, speaker/performer recruitment, and in bringing in youth-centered ideas and energy to the planning process. Jack also participated in ChangeMakers (a summer program at an LGBTQ organization), and then became a facilitator of the program the following summer, when they crafted and implemented an entirely new curriculum for the nine-week program. In addition to leading sessions, they redesigned the program so that it became youth-led and youth organized, and offered paid positions for youth for the first time in program history.

Jack is informed, engaged, and visible around many social justice issues, and they offer not only their whole self to training spaces, but also a vast understanding around the complexities of safer sex, race, ability, class, gender, and orientation.

Aisha Gray (they/them) serves as the Southern Field Organizer at Georgia Equality. They hold a Master of Science degree in Community Psychology from Florida A&M University, demonstrating a profound commitment to social justice and the advancement of LGBTQ+ rights.

Originating from Florida, Aisha’s transition to Georgia was driven by a passion to apply their expertise in practical ways to a new context. Before joining the Georgia Equality team, Aisha played a pivotal role in providing crucial psychological assessments to youth across Georgia, guiding them toward vital mental health services. Aisha’s decade-long involvement with LGBTQ+ youth and youth of color, both in non-profit and private capacities, reflects an enduring commitment to these communities.

As a resilient advocate, Aisha’s contributions extend beyond the field of psychology. Their experience in community organizing and advocacy spans various domains, from addressing racial equity to tackling issues like health and economic disparities. Aisha’s steadfast commitment to social justice showcases their dedication to multifaceted social justice combined with restorative communal mental healthcare praxis.

Ade Uzzi (she/her) has worked in the private and non-profit organization space as an Accountant and Financial Analyst for over twenty-six years.

Ade is originally from Benin City, Nigeria, and obtained a Master of Arts degree in Economics from Clark-Atlanta University and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Economics and Finance from Mercer University.

She enjoys keeping up with current affairs, traveling and spending time with her nephews and nieces.