FEDERAL JUDGE DENIES GEORGIA ATTORNEY GENERAL’S MOTION TO DISMISS IN SAME-SEX MARRIAGE LAWSUIT

Georgia Equality is pleased to report that the jugde for Georgia’s marriage equality lawsuit has denied Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens’ motion to dismiss. Georgia’s lawsuit will continue forward in it’s effort to bring the freedom to marry to Georgia.

“We congratulate our colleagues at Lambda Legal on their great work and success in this case, and look forward to working toward continued success together” said Jeff Graham, Executive Director of Georgia Equality. “While this in no way indicates the judge’s opinion on same-sex marriage, it is encouraging that even one of the more conservative judges in the district is unwilling to accept the State’s tired claim, based on no evidence, that opposite sex couples are better for children.”

Read the full order here: http://www.lambdalegal.org/in-court/legal-docs/innis_ga_20150108_order-denying-motion-to-dismiss

This week, Atlanta attorney Brian M. Basinger – a former Georgia Equality board member who was named one of the Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40 by the National LGBT Bar Association in 2012 – wrote a new editorial in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution calling for the freedom to marry in Georgia and explaining why he and his husband, Joshua B. Saunders, won’t be leaving Georgia any time soon.

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Emily Brown joins Georgia Equality from Emory University School of Public Health, where she managed HIV research projects. In her spare time at Emory, Emily facilitated the formation of the Atlanta Coalition for LGBTQ Youth (ACFLY), a coalition of youth-serving providers in Metro Atlanta working to improve the services they provide to LGBTQ youth. Continue reading →

Open Enrollment has started and the Health Insurance Marketplace is open! Do you have questions or need help getting started? The Health Initiative is dedicated to improving the health of all LGBTQ Georgians and they will be offering several community education events over the next few months to help answer your Open Enrollment questions and offer assistance with the process. Continue reading →

Georgia Equality is once again pleased to work with Human Rights Campaign and  Equality Federation to support the Municipal Equality Index.  While Atlanta has achieved a milestone with a perfect score, there are many smaller municipalities who are working to put policies in place to protect and respect their LGBT residence. The MEI is a great resource for these municipalities to know how they measure up with their peers and it provides local advocates with a tool for working with local elected officials to create the change we need in the communities we call home.   Check out the full MEI here: http://www.hrc.org/campaigns/municipal-equality-index