RALLY to #StopSB375: March 1st
Lawmakers in the Georgia Senate have advanced SB 375, an anti-LGBT “License to Discriminate” bill, by a 35 to 19 vote. The legislation would allow taxpayer-funded adoption agencies to turn away same-sex couples and even refuse to work with children in need who identify as LGBT. The discriminatory bill stands to impact the approximately 14,000 children in the state’s foster and child welfare system.
SB 375, an anti-LGBT “License to Discriminate” bill 
that would allow taxpayer-funded adoption agencies to turn away same-sex couples, advanced out of the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this morning. The bill could come before the full Senate as early as tomorrow.
“There are no winners with SB 375,” said Jeff Graham, Georgia Equality’s Executive Director. “This bill does not help the thousands of young people in our state’s adoption and foster care system. It does not help loving parents who are looking to open their homes to children in need, either through fostering or adoption. It does not help our state’s economic image – particularly at this crucial juncture in our bid to bring up to 50,000 new and high-paying jobs to our state through Amazon. There are only losers with this bill: children denied permanent and loving homes, and potential parents coldly turned away simply because of who they are.” Continue reading
A new organization dedicated to providing pro bono legal assistance to LGBTQ Georgians launched in Atlanta on January 20. Emory LGBTQ Legal Services, or ELLS, will begin its work this spring by helping trans individuals access transition-related care and appealing their insurance denials. ELLS will also be partnering with Georgia Equality in the next few months to host advanced directive workshops for the LGBTQ community. While ELLS cannot assist LGBTQ Georgians with all of their legal needs, the organization will be compiling a database of community resources and pointing individuals with problems outside of ELLS’ mission in the right direction. Continue reading
We’ve got two exciting opportunities for you to get 
involved with HIV Advocacy next week! Take a look at both events below and we’ll see you next week! Continue reading
We’re excited about the possibility of seeing real progress on 
passing hate crime legislation in Georgia this year, but we need your help now!
Will you take 3 minutes today to make 3 phone calls? Three important Committee Chairs need to hear from you today on why we need a hearing on hate crimes as soon as possible.
Call now:
Chairman Wendell Willard, House Judiciary Committee,404.656.5125, email hidden; JavaScript is required
Chairman Rich Golick, House Non-Civil Judiciary Committee, 404.656.5943, email hidden; JavaScript is required
Chairman Jesse Stone, Senate Judiciary Committee, 404.463.1314, email hidden; JavaScript is required
